Hresvelgr
by Darkseid
Summary: The world's greatest gaming guild meets the Most Dangerous Game. OC-centric, with canon characters interspersed at intervals.
1. 14:59

**Hresvelgr**

 _By: Darkseid_

 **Prologue: 14.59**

 _November 5, 2022 – 10.00pm Pacific Standard Time_

With a flick of his fingers, Alex Engström turned on the television screen in front of him.

It took a few seconds for the image to materialize. Above the screen, a miniature camera adjusted its lens, focusing on the only person in the room – him. The screen flashed once before becoming fully active, displaying G4's newsroom in its entirety. Waiting at the desk was Sloane Sabbath, the current anchor for the channel's MMO segment, and his interviewer for tonight.

She brushed aside a strand of black hair from her forehead. "Alex. It's been a while."

"Same. Still snoozing in between camera cuts?"

"That was a one-time thing, and you know it." Sloane snapped her left fingers twice in rapid succession. "Anyways, we're up in fifteen, so get ready."

Alex nodded, adjusting his posture to an upright position. It wouldn't do for him to slouch on national television. While it wasn't the first time he was interviewed for something or another, the pre-broadcast nervousness still remained with him; his hands were slightly shaking.

 _Just get this over with,_ he thought to himself.

The indicator light on the camera flashed twice before changing color to red, signaling the start of the session.

"Welcome back to DataStream!" Sloane began. "Tonight, our guest is someone that all of you should recognize. Joining us from Redmond, Washington, is Alexander Engström, better known by his alias, ITHARIUS THE GRIM REAPER!"

An inset of the live feed being captured on the camera appeared at the top left corner of his screen. From here on out, everything he did would be broadcasted to the world.

"Thank you for joining us."

He gave her a faint smile. "Always a pleasure."

"Let's get straight to the point. The question that I and every serious gamer out there is dying to know – is _Hresvelgr_ seriously considering retiring from _World of Warcraft_?"

He waited for three seconds before answering. "Not at all. Our main focus has always been WoW, and will continue to be so as long as I'm in charge. With that said, however…"

"Four straight seasons of world firsts, not to mention five world arena championships in _Aesir's_ name – what's left for your guild to attain?"

Alex couldn't help but chuckle. "Omnipotence?"

Sloane's right eyebrow rose up.

"In all seriousness, there really isn't anything left for us at this point, save for, well…camaraderie. _Hresvelgr_ 's been around for six years, and will probably last well beyond WoW's lifespan. With that said, our guild will continue to exist as long as there's a need for it."

The next question soon followed. "Rumors have gone around that _Hresvelgr's_ raiding core will be moving to _Sword Art Online_ , due to launch in less than three hours. Can you elaborate?"

"A temporary transfer. As _World of Warcraft_ is currently undergoing transition to a full VR platform, we felt it prudent to maintain our activities within a similar environment. Both games will eventually incorporate the same virtual controls – the key difference being a complete absence of magic in SAO. In the meantime, our core members will have ample opportunity to further refine their already considerable VR manipulation talents."

"And this has nothing to do with Atheon's plans to acquire Argus?"

A wry grin spread across Alex's face. "Now that would be telling." He stretched his hands in front of him. "Let's just say that I and the rest of _Aesir_ have a certain attachment to the NerveGear. The rest of the guild, well, simply chose to follow in our footsteps. And for that, I'm eternally grateful for their continued support."

"You've heard it first on DataStream. We'll be back after these messages."

The camera's indicator light changed back to green, signaling the end of the interview.

"Try not to exaggerate my deeds, please," Alex said.

"No promises." She winked at him.

Alex used his left hand to change the channel back to regular programming. There would be time to chat with Sloane later on. If he kept the link active for any longer, she might be tempted to rope him back in for an extended interview.

"Sloane didn't try to flirt with you this time, I see."

The other reason why he cut off the link had finally arrived. Valerie Skarsen, his live-in girlfriend, had just finished taking her bath. Her long strawberry-blonde hair was still damp at several places – parts of it clung to the back of her nightdress.

"After what you said to her the last time, I wouldn't be surprised. It's probably why she insisted on a solo interview."

She clenched her right fist. "The nerve of that woman…" Valerie walked across the room, settling down to his left on the couch. "You weren't exactly holding back either, Alex. I saw the whole interview."

He shrugged. "Can't help it. Part of the reason why everyone's so interested in _Hresvelgr_ is the way I act. As long as the guild's around, that's going to be what the public sees – OW!"

Valerie pinched his right cheek.

"What was that for?"

"You better make it up to me later tonight."

"In front of everyone? Really, Val…"

"Why not? It'll be great footage for the first newscast. ' _Hresvelgr_ core clinches world first SAO kiss.' That'll definitely make tomorrow's headlines. Besides…I hear that the tactile simulation engine for that game is as close to reality as it can get."

"It can never compare to the real thing." Before Valerie could say another word, Alex cupped her cheeks with both his hands and gave her a peck on the lips.

She let out a soft sigh. "Silly…" She returned the kiss, brushing the tip of her tongue lightly across his lips. "Not when it's you."

Alex used his left arm to draw her closer, until there was no more space separating them. Half a minute passed before Valeria rested her head on the crook of his neck. Looking down at her, he saw that she was smiling in contentment – his heart skipped a beat.

"Only a few more hours to go," he spoke up.

"I can't wait to meet up with everyone again. Oh, the adventures we'll have, the monsters we'll get to hack to pieces, and, of course, world firsts!"

"…the game wasn't designed to accommodate world firsts."

"Well, we'll just have to make sure to be the ones killing every single boss then, dear." She snuggled against his side. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

* * *

 _November 6, 2022 – 12:59 AM PST_

The launch hour had finally arrived.

For the past three hours, Alex passed the time by chatting with his guildmates. All in all, thirty raiders will be joining Valerie and him for the launch. An additional twenty were expected to join in the coming days.

There was one critical detail he had left out of his earlier interview with Sloane. Argus, the company that published SAO, was indeed about to be acquired by his father's company, Atheon. As part of the PR campaign, Alex, along with the rest of _Hresvelgr_ , was to demonstrate SAO's gameplay to international audiences – to be precise, potential players outside of Japan. The VR interface technology used in the game was currently being ported over to WoW; it was expected to be done by year's end.

By having a live demonstration of the interface's potential, Atheon hoped to draw in even more subscribers to its flagship MMO – already the dominant title on the market with over 15 million subscribers to date. As groundbreaking as SAO may be, its fanbase paled in comparison to that of WoW's.

And if the live version of SAO lived up to its promise…MMO gaming will never be the same again.

The most recent message flashed across the television screen, which was currently in «Computer Mode».

[See you on the other side. –D.C.]

 _No doubt Darius would already be strapped into his NerveGear, waiting for the login server to authenticate his credentials._ Darius was one of the few foreign beta testers for SAO during this previous summer. It was largely due to his experience that Atheon began taking steps to acquire Argus – all for the sake of the software powering the game.

"Geez, hurry up already, Alex."

Valerie leaned back further into her leather recliner. Her NerveGear was all set to go – both the power cable and the optional network hardline were connected to the appropriate sockets. She gave him a thumbs-up before stating in a crisp, clear voice, "Link Start!"

At once, her body ceased moving. All neural transmissions were now intercepted by the NerveGear – the second-generation personal VR hardware. Until she logged out of the game, any stimuli that her body experienced would not register with her.

Alex reached for his NerveGear – sporting an onyx black sheen of paint instead of the default gunmetal grey – and slipped it onto his head, making sure that it fit properly. The visor displayed vital statistics, such as battery life, current time, network status, and current loaded program – in this case, .

The current time was already past 1:00:00AM, the official launch of the VMMORPG _Sword Art Online_. It was time to step through to another world. Only one more command was needed to cross over.

Smiling, Alex said, "Link Start!"

* * *

 _System…init successful._

 _Atheon Stargate™ v.2.2_

 _Checking audio link…success_

 _Checking video link…success_

 _User: aengstrom_

 _Password: *************_

 _Login successful_

 _Administrator privileges granted (lv. 0)_

 _Load ? (Y/N)…Y_

As soon as he selected the option, his whole field of vision was enveloped in bright white light. Before he had time to react, polygons of all shapes, sizes, and colors began rendering all around him. This process lasted for the better part of a minute before finally stopping with the arrival at the proper login screen – a free-standing holographic display with two entry fields.

Rather than call up the holographic keyboard like most users would, Alex _thought_ of the desired input and watched it appear in the relevant fields.

 _Username: Itharius_

 _Password: ***************_

The screen shifted over to the next phase, where the game asked him if he would like to make further modifications to his preset avatar. As his participation was already prearranged with Argus, a user account had already been setup months in advance, along with an avatar that best represented him.

Alex, however, was not one to leave anything to chance, and so selected the 'Yes' option with his thoughts.

A full-length mirror appeared before him, allowing him to see the current state of his avatar – or rather, himself. For the most part, the avatar was an accurate representation of himself in real life; short, dark brown hair, slightly curved cheeks, cobalt-blue eyes, and, to his satisfaction, a small scar on the back of his left hand.

A thought later, the confirmation screen disappeared from view, and the world turned black as his 'virtual' eyes automatically closed. A few seconds passed, and sounds of footsteps and others became audible.

Alex, or rather, his avatar, Itharius, opened his eyes, and found himself in the middle of a vast city plaza. His vision flickered briefly as the NerveGear made final adjustments to the viewing resolution; soon enough, the virtual environment became indistinguishable from the real world. The details of every brick, plant, and any other object within his field of vision were impressive – had he not known better, he would have thought he was in some faraway country, taking in the sights.

Looking around, he saw that people were logging into the game every single second – at this pace, it won't be long before the entire plaza filled up. Some of them went off to other parts of the city at once, while others lingered, taking in the sights. Groups of players would congregate every now and then – Alex assumed that they were most likely acquainted with each other in real life.

Speaking of which…

"What did I tell you, Alex?" a loud, jovial voice called out from behind him. "It truly is the future of gaming."

He turned around to face the clock at the center of the plaza. There, the owner of the voice, Loki, the avatar of Darius Crowley, was waiting for him along with Valerie's avatar, Ashelia. Both avatars were accurate representations of their owners in real life – Ashe, however, had taken liberties with _some_ details around her chest.

Alex smiled and waved at the pair as he ran over to join them. "It really is!"


	2. Genesis

**Chapter 1: Genesis**

Of all the landmarks in Starting City, the most impressive one was, in Ashe's opinion, the water gardens at the southern district. A mere ten minutes' walk from the central plaza, it boasted a wide variety of flora ranging from immaculately trimmed hedges to exotic water lilies growing by the lakeside. At the center of the lake was an open air marble terrace covered by a red clay tile dome, accessible only by a single narrow path lined on both sides with cypress trees.

It was picturesque, and therefore the perfect location for their first activity for the 'day.'

"Hi hi!" she began, leaning back against the fence that separated the terrace from the lake. "This is Ashe, and we're at SAO's very own Capital Gardens. As you can all see, it truly is a beautiful place – a showpiece of SAO's unmatched graphics engine. The beta screencaps don't do what I'm seeing around me justice at all."

She was directing her words towards their camerawoman, Sarah Stuart, alias Athena. A brunette of medium build, she, like almost all of _Hresvelgr's_ SAO players, modeled her avatar according to her real appearance. As part of her job, Sarah wore a pair of glasses that doubled as a camera; everything that she saw would be stored in a «Recording Crystal» whenever she desired.

Ashe paused for a few seconds to catch her breath. "Say, Alex, aren't you going to say something to our fans back in the real world?" She turned her head to the left.

A few meters away, Itharius continued to stare across the lake while resting his hands on the fence. "There's nothing to be said. This is just window dressing."

Ashe pouted. "Aww, don't be like that, schnookums. This is ten times better than the current VR environment in WoW." She closed the distance between them and began tugging at his sleeves. "C'mon, just a few words."

"Alright…" He turned around to face Athena, stretched his hands above him, and let out a short cough. "Ahem…the game world's certainly top-notch. Combat is supposed to proceed at a more realistic pace than WoW – we'll find out soon enough. The social features are kind of lacking, however, from what I'm seeing so far."

"Hey Alex, close your eyes for a second."

"Okay…?" Itharius complied.

At once, she kissed him full on the lips, to the shock of their guild's camerawoman. Fifteen seconds passed before she finally parted from her boyfriend. "Mmm…close enough to the real thing. They really did take all things into consideration."

"Really now, Val…" Despite his words, Itharius's face turned a light shade of pink. No matter how well he tried to deal with it, she would always find a way to bring out _that_ side of him. "I'm sure there're other ways to test the game's realism."

"Admit it, you enjoyed it."

"…Maybe." Itharius shrugged.

"Hmm…" A devilish grin appeared on her face. "We're definitely getting a room in one of the inns tonight."

"Geez, you two always find a way to mess around with each other."

Ashe turned towards the pillar to her right, where Loki was observing the exchange from up to this point. Sarah followed suit in order to capture the footage.

"Not that it's unexpected. _That_ feature was added in for the live version." Loki tossed a simple dagger straight up into the air, catching it with two fingers as it fell. "In fact, I'd probably give it a go once I find someone willing."

Ashe and Itharius both turned a bright shade of red. Across from her, Athena was having a difficult time keeping her composure – she looked like she was about to faint from shock.

"W-we're broadcasting this live, you…you dolt!" Ashe stomped her right foot on the limestone floor. A loud _THUD_ rang through their quarter of the terrace.

Loki snorted. "That's the whole point, Val."

"Y…you…"

Loki interrupted her before she could say anything else. "Speaking of which, looks like the rest're finally here. Oy, Sif! What took you guys so long?"

A group of three players, two men and a woman, ran over to them, stopping just short of a meter in front of her. She recognized all of them – the remaining half of their arena team, _Aesir_ , and the core players of their guild. The blonde was Lorelei Kurzweil, alias Sif, one of the most proficient VR melee combatants in the world. To Sif's left stood Gunther Golmein, alias Tyr; his avatar matched her height and sported more muscle than his real world counterpart. A small wooden kite shield was slung across his back. Finally, the last arrival was Eric Parker, alias Havok, the oldest player in their group – his avatar was taller than anyone present. Parts of his short brown hair were messed up, reflecting its template's real-world condition.

"I just got up, y'know," Sif said. "Don't forget that I'm three hours ahead of you – I can't just skip out on sleep, even if it's launch day."

Tyr and Havok nodded in agreement.

"I still can't believe that this is all a simulation," Tyr said, running his right hand back through his blond hair. "It just feels too real. But then again, goes to show how far VR tech's come along since our test days, eh?"

Havok turned to face Athena, or rather, the camera she was wearing. "In my opinion, the renderer's just as good as the ones currently being used for the telesurgery apparatuses. I wouldn't be surprised if we started using these within six months for that purpose."

Athena took a step back in order to get everyone into frame. "Speaking of which, did that item arrive yet?"

"Let's see…" Itharius opened up his item storage grid, browsed through the list, and tapped twice on a tab. A scroll materialized in left his hand in a burst of blue light. He opened it up and traced his name on the page. "Everyone, please use this," he said, handing it over to Ashe.

One by one, everyone present wrote their names onto the parchment with their fingers, passing it along as they finished. A minute later, Athena handed the scroll back to Itharius with a smile. He inspected the list of names on the scroll, making sure that everyone was present, before bringing up the confirmation dialogue. Using one finger, he tapped the «Yes» option; the scroll rolled up from the bottom before disappearing into a flash of light.

Ashe glanced up at her health bar, and saw a new symbol appear to the left of her avatar name – two crossed swords affixed in front of a black spear, all three of which were surrounded by a blue Mobius strip, placed in front of a white background. She was now part of a guild, and could now receive the full benefits of being in one. _Hresvelgr_ was now officially incorporated and recognized by the game.

"And there you have it, folks. A first look at the guild creation system in SAO," she said while looking straight at Athena's camera glasses. "Normally, players wouldn't be able to form guilds until the third floor is unlocked, but we've received special dispensation from the game's creator. More power to us, I suppose."

"Not to mention the extra benefits we'll get from having guild parties," Loki said. "I can already see the expressions of everyone that we'll be leapfrogging across." He shrugged. "Oh well, can't be helped, I guess."

"We'll have more updates for you in a few days," Ashe concluded. "Until next time."

As soon as Athena gave the all-clear signal, everyone sighed in relief.

"Did you get all of that?" she asked.

"Yep. And before you ask, it's all going up." Ignoring Ashe's pained expression, she continued on. "It's good footage, and it'll bring in more viewers. Amy'll probably post it up in the next few hours."

"It's in her hands, then…" Ashe took a deep breath. "So, what now?"

"I'm going to go browse the shops for a while before the big meet. It's in what, three hours, right?"

"Yeah, at 5pm server," Itharius said. "That should be more than enough time for everyone to log on. Darius, take care of the details, would you?"

"If I see any of them. Got business with a couple of contacts to take care off first. They'll know who to get in touch with." He pushed himself off the pillar and strolled towards the exit. "See you when I see you," he said with a wave.

Athena said a few goodbyes and left soon afterwards. _Amy'll probably take her place in a few days,_ Ashe thought. Still, Athena had done a good job so far; as much as she hated to admit it, it was a good decision to keep the camera rolling.

"What about the rest of you?" Ashe asked. "Hard to imagine everyone else sitting on their bums on launch day."

Sif was the first to speak up. "I'm taking Gunther and Eric with me to the east field. Might as well get started on the grind before people start leaving town." The two in question nodded. "Want to come with us, Val? We can see whether my axe is more effective than your sword."

Ashe giggled. "Some other time, Lori. I've got plans already."

"Oh…" Sif glanced sideways at Itharius. "Well, can't be helped then. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, hehe."

"That's not saying much." She let out a long-drawn sigh. "If you see anyone–."

"I got it, I got it." Sif waved in acknowledgement. "They'll help out too, so don't worry about it. C'mon, let's be off already. I want to see if you can still shield bash without having the system help you, Gunther."

"So what did you have in mind, Val?" Itharius asked once the rest were gone.

"We're going west. No way am I going to let them get a jump on leveling." She grabbed him by his left arm and began running towards the exit. "Time to see if you've still got what it takes, dear."

He smirked. "I'd be more worried about you. How long has it been since you held a proper virtual weapon – six months?"

"Just watch me. You never forget how to handle a weapon."

* * *

Another wild boar dissolved into blue fragments as Itharius performed yet another «Horizontal» with the one-handed sword in his left hand. Bending over, he panted in exhaustion – it had been over half an hour since his last break. Unlike _World of Warcraft_ , avatars were subject to stamina – that is, endurance – and would tire out as they performed actions within the game. While it added yet another degree of realism to the gaming experience, he thought that it was an unnecessary feature – it would make extended dungeon crawls more of a hassle.

They've been grinding mobs – mostly boars – in the west field for well over an hour now, completing a few quests along the way. Both of them had recently reached level 3 – it wouldn't be long until the mobs in the area no longer provided experience in efficient quantities. Regardless, killing the mobs had given him the chance to refine his melee skills, to the point where he no longer needed to rely on the system assist to help with his attacks – he even managed to accelerate his attacks to twice their usual speed.

A short distance away, Ashe had just finished killing another boar with a «Slant» - she pumped her left fist as soon as her cooldown wore off. She had opted to go with a two-handed sword instead of her usual single-handed weapons – swords, daggers, maces, and the like – claiming that it was a rare opportunity for her to get "up close and personal" with the enemy. So far, it had taken her nine seconds on average to kill a boar, an impressive feat considering she was using a two-handed weapon. However, she was still far behind his pace – he took only five seconds to down a mob, achieved by chaining three sword skills in rapid succession.

"I think this makes a hundred and forty now," he called out. "What about you?"

Ashe stuck her blade into a patch of grass in front of her. "Grr…maybe I should have gone with one-handers." She wiped her forehead with the back of her left hand. "One hundred and twenty six."

"Guess you're buying everyone drinks at Emmitt's tonight."

"We're not done yet, there's still time –." Her eyes suddenly shifted to the left. "Behind you!"

Itharius twisted around and caught sight of the threat – a hostile dire wolf rushing up towards him. Wasting no time, he drew his left hand back, triggering the startup sequence for the «Linear» sword skill – a blue glow enveloped his sword and the entirety of his left fist. He kicked the ground and shot straight at the wolf, aiming his sword at the wolf's head. In the space of a second, he ran the system-assisted attack straight through the wolf's jaw, causing it to break apart into blue shards.

Another kill window popped up to the left of his head. "Thanks," he said, sheathing his sword.

"I'm surprised you managed to go that fast. Were you boosting the attack speed that time?"

"Only by about a factor of 2. I didn't want to risk freezing up in the middle – the last time that happened in the alpha, I ended up getting killed during the three second delay."

"Maybe I should give it a go." She pulled her longsword out of the ground.

"It's not that hard to master – took me about half an hour to get the hang of it." An alert icon popped up to his right. "Go on without me – I'll catch up in a minute."

As Ashe ran towards the next cluster of mobs, he pressed the alert icon with his right hand. A message window appeared – it was from another _Hresvelgr_ raider, requesting an invite to the guild. He brought up the guild status window and sent an invite his way – manipulating the relevant commands had become routine for him by this point. Five seconds later, the guild roster count rose up by one – the total number of members had reached twenty nine. Only a few stragglers remained – they would most likely be getting up and logging on within the next hour or so.

Another message arrived from Ashe. [Coming?]

Itharius used his right pointer and middle finger to draw a line down his right ear. A white ear microphone-headphone materialized on his ear. "Be there in a sec," he replied.

He might just end up having to buy drinks tonight – Ashe wasn't one to lose a challenge, no matter what it entailed.

* * *

As it was the largest city in Aincrad, the Starting City boasted numerous venues for players desiring food, drinks, lodgings, and other needs. All in all, there were about sixty inns catering to all demographics, ranging from the dirt-cheap hideaways to opulent multi-story hotels.

Right now, Loki was sitting at a table at the _World's End Tavern_ , nursing a goblet of ruby claret. Even though it was impossible to get intoxicated in-game, the taste engine replicated the contents of the drink well enough to make it indistinguishable from the real thing. That being said, the game had other means to simulate intoxication – a player's field of vision would be blurred and would shake at regular intervals; to him, they were minor inconveniences at best.

The tavern, one of the best-kept secrets during the beta test, had no other player occupants at this hour save for him and one other person. Several NPCs sat at the other tables, exchanging random system-generated conversations – it was supposed to make the atmosphere more 'authentic.'

But he wasn't here just for a drink. Rather, Loki was taking care of an important errand. Sitting across from him was another fellow beta tester, Argo – a.k.a. «Argo the Rat». During the beta test, she served as an information broker – there was no one else more informed of all the quests, mob composition, and events than her aside from him, and even he had trouble recollecting the facts from time to time. As it was in the beta, her face was marked by a set of brown whiskers that served as the origin of her moniker. The rest of her appearance was concealed underneath a gray tattered travelling cloak.

"I see you've kept _that_ ," Loki said, placing the goblet back onto the table. "How long did it take to score the makeup this early in the game?"

"I'll sell the info for 100c. You still haven't gotten over your addiction to the claret. Is it really that good?"

Loki made a _tsk_ sound. "I'll pass – although Sif might be curious – you should bring it up to her. And as for this…" He gently twisted the goblet in his hand, causing the dark ruby liquid to swirl about. "It reminds me of home. You should get a glass too – I feel bad drinking all by myself."

"Never had the stomach for it. Anyways, about what you wanted."

"You have the list?"

"Right here." Argo reached into her cloak and brought out a scroll of parchment. "Where's the payment?"

Loki brought out his trade window and typed in the relevant commands. A similar window popped to the right of Argo's face. Both of them hit the «Confirm» button, and the scroll flashed once, indicating successful transfer of ownership. He quickly reached for it and stretched it open, browsing through the contents.

"Surely you aren't that intimidated by the others?" Argo took a sip of her drink – a mug of warm milk. "Most of them didn't even manage to master the intermediate sword skills, let alone make it beyond the first couple of floors."

" _His_ orders. He's leaving nothing to chance. You should know this."

"I don't keep track of such things. That game your guild's a part of is just…how do I put it…too foreign. I'd never get past the halfway point." She finished the rest of her drink. "Well, at least the _vaunted_ universal translator's working – you've been speaking English this whole time, haven't you?"

"Didn't even realize it – so it does work, after all."

Loki picked up his goblet and finished the remaining claret in one gulp. "If anything else comes up, you know how to get in touch with me. I've got about an hour left to get what I need to get done."

"Really now…," Argo muttered. "Are all Americans obsessed with leveling or something?"

"Gotta catch up to Itharius and Ashe. They're probably already pushing past four as we speak. Later!"

The other NPCs in the tavern barely gave him notice as he bolted out of his seat and made his way out the front door.

"Good grief…," was the last thing he heard from Argo as the tavern's front door closed behind him.

* * *

The virtual sun was beginning to pass below the horizon as everyone in _Hresvelgr_ gathered in front of the central plaza's clock tower – the current time was just a little past 5:15pm JST. In the real world, Itharius would soon have to get up for another day of work at Atheon's Digital R &D division. In Japan, however, where most of the game's players came from, it was just the beginning of peak hours – more players were likely to log on soon.

Roughly thirty two players – all of _Hresvelgr's_ raiders due to arrive today – were gathered in front of him, waiting for him to speak. Most of them had logged on within an hour or two of the launch; the last member had received a guild invite barely half an hour ago. Like him, they would soon have to attend to obligations in the real world, whether it be college classes or jobs; no one in the guild save for Athena – she would turn seventeen in a week – was younger than nineteen.

Itharius glanced over everyone present, and was satisfied with the current 'builds' his raiders had chosen. Roughly 1/6th of the guild, including Tyr, had chosen 'tank' specs; they had one-handed swords and shields as their default equipment. Loki and three other players had chosen to pursue daggers – they had some of the fastest reaction times of all present and would qualify for the «Dual-Wielding» extra skill. Three chose to wield heavy spears – they would be acting as long-distance interrupters – while Havok and four others sported bows on their backs. Two other players besides him used single one-handed weapons; like him, they were aiming to eventually qualify for the «Dual-Wielding» extra skill. The rest chose to go after two-handed weapons; Sif carried a menacing twin-bladed axe on her back while Ashe carried a sheathed longsword behind her left shoulder.

He coughed once before starting his speech.

"Ahem… I'm glad that everyone was able to make it. This game, the world's first true VRMMO, will be our first real challenge in years. There'll be no more assistance from the AI – no more hit percentages determined by stats or automatic dodges – every success or failure will be brought about by our skills and our skills alone.

"For six years, we've fought together on countless battlefields, conquered innumerable challenges, achieved fame beyond excellence, and, above all else, kept the bonds of camaraderie intact. In all this time, I was never once disappointed – all of you have performed above and beyond expectations. I'm proud to have served with all of you."

"Here here!" Every member of _Hresvelgr_ raised their right fists high up in the air.

"And now is the time to move forward! We shall conquer all one hundred floor bosses before anyone else comes remotely close. We shall be seven steps ahead of every other player. We will be the _only_ authority in this world. All shall know of _Hresvelgr_ and gape in awe. All shall acknowledge our strength, strength born from our unshakable unity.

"Strength through Unity! Individually, we are strong. Together, we are invincible. And therefore, nothing is beyond our reach. ALL! HAIL! HRESVELGR!"

A resounding roar of approval emerged from the crowd, drawing the attention of everyone else in the plaza. "ALL HAIL HRESVELGR! ALL HAIL ITHARIUS!"

"We'll meet up again at 6pm PST today to start organized expeditions. Dismissed!"

All of the regular guild members saluted him. Once he returned the salute, they began to disperse into smaller groups. The rest of the _Aesir_ made their way over to him, weaving through the crowd.

"Not bad, boss," Loki said. "Way to kick off the official guild launch."

Ashe slung her left arm around his right. "Befitting of _Hresvelgr's_ Praetor. I'm tempted to log off right now and…" She whispered several choice phrases into his right ear, causing him to blush furiously.

"Geez, Val…" Sif groaned. "There're people watching. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Pfft. As if I care what they think. Alex doesn't mind, right?" She pinched his right shoulder.

"Uh, yeah…" He looked at the time on the clock tower – it was already twenty five minutes past five. If he were to log out now, he would be able to get a few hours of sleep before he was due at work. "Anyways, I should get going. Not all of us have the luxury of staying home for launch day. Val, let's go."

Itharius brought down the menu and scrolled over to the «Logout» command. To his shock, the tab did nothing when he tapped on it, as if it was nothing more than a decoration.

"What the hell…," he muttered. "Val, see if you can logout."

Ashe was frantically tapping at her menu commands. "I…I can't. It's not working."

His officers brought down their menus as well, only to get the same result – none of them could log out. One by one, the rest of his guild began to react as they reached the same conclusion. Some of them panicked – like him, they had obligations to attend to in the real world, while others remained composed, instead using the «Call GM» feature. He tried to summon one as well, to no avail – just like the logout command, the GM feature appeared to be turned off.

"This can't be happening," Havok said. "There's no other way to turn the NerveGear off except through the logout command. At this rate, we might be stuck like this indefinitely."

"…my dad is going to kill me." Itharius smacked his forehead. "First time that I'll be missing work."

"I have three appointments and a major operation to take care off. Sigh…hopefully Ems fixes things on that side." He turned to face Itharius. "How long do you think it'll take before they fix this?"

He shrugged. "Who knows–."

The clock tower's bell suddenly rang, interrupting him. As the deafening noise continued on, blue flashes of light began appearing all over the plaza, leaving behind players. Within a minute, the entirety of the server was gathered in the plaza. A cacophony of screams, yells, and conversation soon drowned out the background music as everyone began wondering what was going on. Then, the sky was filled with blood-red hexagons inscribed with the message [Warning: System Announcement].

Itharius would never forget what transpired over the next five minutes.

* * *

It was pandemonium.

 _Just one step shy of anarchy,_ Itharius thought. The majority of players who heard Akihiko Kayaba's announcement were wandering around the plaza in a listless state. No doubt some of them were convinced that this was all an illusion, that sooner or later someone from the real world would resolve the situation. Fistfights were breaking out between some of the more desperate players – as they were still within the city limits, the combatants only suffered knockbacks caused by blocked attacks.

He had to get out of here, and fast. In fact, _Hresvelgr_ should distance themselves as far away as possible from the rest of the playerbase. As much as he'd like to believe that this was nothing more than a dream, every fiber of his being convinced him otherwise; until this game was cleared, there would be no way for him and his guild to return back to the real world. And if they were going to be able to survive here in this world, they would need to obtain the equipment and skills required to do so, and fast, before the masses caught on.

 _Whether I like it or not, resources are always going to be limited, even in this virtual world._

"Darius," he whispered, "if you've got any solutions, now's the time."

"One sec…" Loki manipulated his map window, tracing a path with his hands. "If we're going to get anywhere, we should be three steps ahead of everyone else. Let's see…someplace safe…" A bright red dot appeared just southwest of the center of his map. "Horunka Village. It's the next major quest hub on this floor. As long as everyone stays together in a party, we should be fine even at min level."

One by one, Itharius examined the _Aesir_ 's condition. As expected, they were taking the situation in stride – none of them displayed signs of instability as far as he could see. Every now and then, Ashe would gulp; despite that, she did her best to reassure the guild members closest to her that everything was under control. Sif and Tyr both took charge of 'their' squads, ordering them to inspect their equipment's condition in an effort to keep panic from overtaking their thoughts. As for Havok, he drew out his bow, scanning the crowd for any potential hostiles.

Even though player names were invisible to others outside of parties and raids, the guild icon still showed up above the visible health bar. Sooner or later, someone would notice that they were the only players with that icon. And when that happened…

 _No, I can't think of that. Not now, not ever._ _Survival is the immediate priority here. Everything else would have to wait._

"Send the map data to everyone." He brought out the guild chat window and typed a short message. [All _Hresvelgr_ personnel, converge Horunka Village inn. Details in next xmit. Depart city in parties of 4. –I.G.R.] While it would have been faster to use the voice-to-text feature, he didn't want to risk outsiders catching onto their plan.

To his left, Loki had just finished compiling the path everyone would need to take – a long hike on the northwest road out of the city, followed by a trek through a forest – and sent it through the general guild channel. As the rest of the guild received the instructions, they nodded and began forming parties among themselves.

Without delay, Itharius brought out the party window and sent invites over to Ashe, Havok, and Athena – the girl was about ready to keel over. It took less than five seconds for all of them to accept; three health bars appeared below his in the upper left corner of his field of vision, along with their names.

"Eric, grab Athena and let's go." He turned his head towards Loki. "Get them there safe."

Loki nodded. "Got it."

There was no time to waste. Havok grabbed Athena by her right arm and pulled her along until she was able to move on her own. Itharius led the way through countless back alleys and roads – it wouldn't do for them to draw any more attention to themselves. Soon enough, they were past the gates; from here on out, their lives would be at stake. Mobs would spawn at higher rates come nightfall – they have to make it past the forest before then.

A dire wolf materialized in front of them; its eyes glowed bright red as it bared its fangs. Havok drew his bow and fired two shots in rapid succession at its head, causing it to rear up. Itharius followed up with a «Horizontal»; the wolf split in half as it dissolved into blue sparks.

As they marched along the path, Itharius was absorbed in his thoughts. No doubt his father was already aware of the situation – they would be making arrangements to move their bodies to one of Atheon's medical facilities. His mother, on the other hand…she was probably in hysterics; the thought of her son dying would not be easy for her to bear.

 _Will I ever go back home again? Can I even go back home?_ An hour ago, all of this was still a game. Now, for the foreseeable future, this world would be his only reality. To make matters more complicated, he was now responsible for the well-being of over thirty players, all of whom were counting on him to see them through this ordeal. Itharius was sure that had Loki and he not come up with a plan, his guild would have already broken down from the sheer weight of the 'revelation.'

 _If they were to die, would I be able to live with myself?_

" _From now on, all forms of revival within the game will no longer work. The moment your HP reaches 0, your avatar will be gone forever. And when that happens…the NerveGear will destroy your brain."_ Those were Kayaba's exact words. There would be no do-overs – every battle could be his last. He could not afford any mistakes, lest his life be forfeit. While he was sure that he would survive until the end – his performance today was nothing short of stellar – the rest of his guild was another story. Even though they had experience with virtual environments in WoW, it may not translate to this game. Some of them might not last it to the end, let alone through this week.

Another enemy popped up to his left, shaking him out of his reverie.

"I've got this!" he said while drawing out his sword.

* * *

They reached Horunka Village's inn by nightfall. To Itharius's relief, there were no other players present within the town limits – NPCs were milling about the roads and the ten buildings that comprised the town. Grabbing the doorknob with his left hand, he pulled the inn's door opened and stepped inside, with the others following behind.

The inn's first floor had enough tables and seats at the bar to accommodate forty people; Itharius sighed in relief – they would've had to find another venue had it turned out otherwise. Some of the booths were occupied by random NPCs having drinks. The innkeeper, a short, stout man who also doubled as the bartender, was standing behind the bar, cleaning a glass pint mug with a washcloth.

"Can I help you?" the innkeeper said as Itharius took a seat at the bar.

"Ale."

"Coming right up." The innkeeper brought out a fresh glass mug, brought it over to the tap, and pulled the handle. He handed the ale over to Itharius; as he took the mug, the appropriate amount of col was deducted from his purse.

Itharius emptied the mug in one go. _Bitter._ Despite that, it was indistinguishable from the real thing. "Another!"

The innkeeper brought out another mug. This time, Itharius took a small sip and set the mug down on the counter with a soft _THUD_.

"I'll have what he's having," Ashe told the innkeeper as she took the seat to his right. "Geez, Alex, that bad?"

He let out a bitter laugh. "No matter how hard I try, I won't get drunk in this game. It's still a good way to kill time though."

Ashe caught her mug with her right hand as it slid across the bar. "Tch." She took a long sip. "Talk to me. I haven't seen you like this in ages."

"Are we ever going to get out of here?"

"It's only the first night. We already have an advantage over the others." She patted him on the back. "You'll get us out – I know it."

Itharius remained silent, nursing his drink.

"Hey…don't be like that. You're scaring me."

"You should be scared. You heard what Kayaba said – this is our only reality now. If we mess up, it's over. No respawn. No waking up in our home." Another bitter laugh escaped his lips. "I should've just stayed in the starting city and crawled under a bed."

"Alex…" Ashe reached over to touch him on the cheek, but was rebuffed.

"Maybe it's best if I just holed myself in one of these rooms from now on. I can't…I can't do this…it's too much…" He took another gulp of the ale. "If I mess up, they'll really be dead–"

"SNAP OUT OF IT ALREADY!"

Ashe shot off her barstool and grabbed him by both shoulders. Her eyes were on fire – he could feel her nails digging through his shirt. Both Havok and Athena were staring at them from their table on the other side of the floor.

"Yes, they'll really die if they mess up, but how is that any different from our real lives? Even there, there's always the risk of death. Like it or not, we're stuck in this world, and we have to make the best of it."

"Even if you say that–"

"They need you, Alex! Whether you care to admit or not, you're the best tactician there is. They're all counting on you to get them back to the real world. And…I…I…" She drew him into a hug. "I need you. I can't do this without you."

"Val…"

"So please…be yourself again. Be the person I know you really are. Be the Alex that I fell in love with all those years ago."

He ran his fingers through the back of her hair. "Alright, Val…for you, I will." He gave her a beatific smile. "No matter what it takes, I promise that I'll get us home."

"I know you will," she whispered in his ear.

They parted from each other half a minute later and returned to finish their drinks. Once he was done, Itharius walked over to Havok and Athena's table and took a seat. "How're you doing, Sarah?"

"This…this can't be real, right? It's just one big joke – we'll wake up in a few hours and laugh over it. It…it can't be real…it just can't be…"

"I'm afraid that we're stuck here, whether we like it or not."

Havok reclined in his seat, stretching his arms out behind him. "I'll probably be suspended at this rate. My patients are going to have a fit – I've never missed an appointment before. Still…what can we do other than finish this." He let out a short laugh. "It'll be just like a vacation – albeit a taxing one."

"I'm not even supposed to be here…oh god, Amy." Sarah buried her face in her hands. "She must be worried sick by now. It's all my fault…I should've never taken her place here."

Due to scheduling conflicts, Amy Stuart, the real Athena, was unable to participate on launch day as _Hresvelgr's_ publicist. And so, her sister offered to cover for the absence – after all, capturing several hours' worth of live streams wasn't too demanding of a task. It was supposed to be a chance for her to unwind and experience firsthand the VR environment Amy constantly immersed herself in.

"So what are you going to do?" Itharius asked. "There's always the option of staying here until the game's cleared."

"No…I can't do that. I…I wouldn't be able to live with myself. And so…" She drew her bow and plucked its string. "I'm going to fight the best that I can. If she were here, that's what she'd do."

"I see…so be it." He turned to face Havok. "Is Emma going to be alright?"

"She's a tough one. She'll pull through. Still, it's not going to be easy – for both of us."

"We're going to get out of here alive, all of us. I'll make that happen."

"Glad to see that you're back. For a while there, I was worried – Ashe may have the stones, but no one can take your place."

"Heh." A wry grin appeared on Itharius's face.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, the last party arrived – they promptly collapsed at the table closest to the door. Every other seat in the inn was occupied – there was barely enough room to move around. NPC waiters and waitresses rushed back and forth carrying orders. Hushed conversations flew back and forth at each table – earlier events had yet to sink in for most of the players present.

From his spot at the bar, Itharius heard snippets of the exchanges.

"…are we going to make it?"

"…one big hoax. It can't be anything else…"

"…there's no plan for this. What are we going to do?"

"I don't want to die!"

"Listen up!" Itharius rose up from his seat, slamming his left fist onto the counter. "This is no time to be moping around. We have jobs to do if we're going to make it out of here alive."

"Praetor…," one of the _Hresvelgr_ spoke up.

"Some of you may still believe that is nothing more than a farce. Whether that is the case or not is still up for debate, but for now, we have to assume the worst. For better or worse, this world is our reality now, and if we are to survive, we must master every aspect of it."

From his position, he could see his guild slowly coming out of their stupor. Their eyes no longer appeared listless; several of them straightened up in their seats. All of their attention was fixed on him.

"We've faced countless challenges together before. The stakes may have changed, but we are still the same band of warriors that stared down death itself. We can…no…we SHALL overcome this just as we've done before. All of you were handpicked from the best, excelled at your calling, earned the right to be _Hresvelgr_. I would trust no other in your place.

"Look to your comrades." Everyone did so. "In this uncertain world, they are the only people that you can count on without fail. They are your lifelines. Together, we shall survive. Together, we shall triumph. All of us shall make it out of here alive. This I swear!"

Cheering erupted throughout the floor. Glasses were raised as some began chanting "Itharius!" over and over again.

"Let us show the world why we are the greatest! Let our names be remembered for all eternity. ALL HAIL HRESVELGR!"

Thunderous applause rang throughout the crowd. He had done his job – his guild would find the strength and wit to survive and excel in this world. With their support, Itharius was sure that they would win this game and return back to their real lives – each one of them was worth ten other players.

Throughout the whole speech, Ashe remained by his side. As the applause began winding down, she moved closer to him and squeezed his right hand with her left, caressing his fingers as she did so.

 _Just maybe…I'll be able to go home again. And I'll be able to say what I couldn't before, Val…_


	3. Underneath the Starless Sky

**Chapter 2: Underneath the Starless Sky**

 _November 23, 2022_

Stonewrought torches bolted to the wall continued to flicker in the distance, providing illumination for the hallway ahead. Despite that, there were still sections bathed in shadows crisscrossing the path ahead. To make matters worse, «Ruin Kobold Troopers», the primary spawn on the 19th labyrinth floor, tended to spawn in dark areas.

As Itharius, Ashe, and Havok advanced another six meters forward, a familiar _POP_ in the air signaled the arrival of yet another group of kobold troopers. Five of the demi-humans, each wielding a barbaric one-handed axe, encircled the party. One of them growled, swung its axe down, and charged straight at Itharius.

"Pfft." Itharius drew his «Anneal Blade (5S3D)» and cut a «Cross» – two opposite «Slants» connected at the center – across the kobold's torso. In its death throes, the kobold's head twitched as it broke apart into countless blue shards. Wasting no time, he segued into another «Cross» at the kobold on his left, knocking it back against the wall.

Ashe dispatched two kobolds each with an «Arcing Smash», a heavy downward swing that caused the ground to shudder. As for the last kobold, Havok shot three arrows straight into its throat, causing it to choke while stumbling backwards, eventually collapsing onto the ground and breaking apart. Three kill windows popped up near each of the party members, listing the EXP, Col, and items gained.

"Five hours…" Ashe sheathed her jet-black longsword behind her. "I want to get out of here already. We've been doing this for four days straight. Can't the other groups cover for us?"

Itharius was busy examining his blade – a nick marred one of the cutting edges. "The sooner we find that room, the better." He shook the blade, as if to remove all traces of flesh and blood off it. "There're only a few segments of this level left to map. Just a bit longer, then we'll RTB."

Ashe sighed and moved further down the hall, taking point. He soon followed at the same pace, with Havok covering their rear. Unlike the others, Havok kept his weapon, an oak bow, at the ready.

"You've gotten much better in the last three days," Itharius said. "I barely saw you draw just now."

"Once you get used to the motions, it becomes second nature. I don't even have to think about it now." Havok brushed his right fingers across the bowstring. "The others are adapting rather well – last time I checked, the average accuracy's gone up to 85%. Ranged should be ready in time for next week."

"Would be nice to have more ranged. The game may emphasize melee, but in the grand scheme of things, ranged will make or break our raids. Then again…"

"They only really shine in parties and raids. With the way things are now, I doubt that we'll be seeing any outside of the guild."

"Too bad." Itharius reached for his hip flask and took a drink. "You still think about the other side?" he said in a low voice.

"Every night. It's always the same scene: Ems crying over my body in the trauma ward, the ECG readout flatlining, the doctors dragging her out of the room." He shuddered. "I have to get back, if only to see her face one more time."

Two more kobold packs spawned before they reached the end of the hallway; they dispatched them without fanfare. Stepping through the arch, they found themselves in a large antechamber. Braziers housing bright orange flames hung from the ceiling, lighting every corner of the room. To their right was a staircase leading upwards – the last stairway yet to be mapped in this labyrinth.

Ashe sighed in relief. "Good, we found it. Now can we go? I want to be back at camp before dinner – Cecilia's making beef stew tonight."

"…Fine. It's not like we need any more EXP. Just give me a –." The sounds of an ongoing battle reached his ears. "Let's go!" He dashed towards the other archway, leaving a cloud of dust behind him.

The hallway past the exit was dim – there was no other source of lighting besides from in-game illumination assist. As he neared the corner, the clashing of steel grew more distinct – the sound resembled a blade grinding against a polishing wheel. Behind him, he heard Ashe's and Havok's footsteps.

Peering around the corner, Itharius saw a figure obscured by a red hood engaged in battle with two kobold troopers. As she nimbly dodged the kobold's three-strike axe combos, she countered with lightning-fast «Linear» strikes – he could barely make out the rapier, only the light green trail left behind by the sword skill. Twenty seconds later, the first kobold trooper broke into fragments as the rapier pierced its chest, followed shortly by the other. Throughout the whole battle, the mysterious figure managed to avoid all incoming attacks.

Despite that, the figure was heaving and puffing, leaning back against the wall. He (or she) wiped his hand across his forehead, sighed, and sank into the floor.

 _Impressive,_ Itharius thought. _And yet…_

"Excessive," he said as he strode out of the corner into sight. "Impressive, but it was still an overkill."

The figure lifted his head and turned towards Itharius. "Overkill…?" he (?) said in a hoarse voice.

"The last kobold would've fallen with a simple jab. Instead, you used a «Linear»– a fast one, I'll give you that."

Ten seconds passed by in silence.

"…I see. Overkill…is there a problem with it?"

By this time, Itharius was close enough to the figure – two meters of space separated them. _The last response…the voice…it's a girl's?_ He took a closer look at the face underneath the hood – his eyes glowed green as his «Searching» skill activated. He could make out the barest of details of her face – hazel eyes, chestnut hair – the hood obscured the rest. Nonetheless, she appeared to be several years his junior – judging from her height, she seemed to be a high school student.

"Well…" He rubbed his fingers together. "There's only one drawback – efficiency. The delay from the Linear, or any other sword skill for that matter, can be dangerous. Not to mention that they're taxing on one's mind."

Behind him, Ashe and Havok skidded to a stop, having finally caught up. "Damnit, Alex, wait for us," Ashe said while panting.

The hooded girl scrambled to her feet and backed herself further against the wall, drawing her rapier out. "…S…S…stay away."

"Easy there, we're not going to hurt you." Itharius raised both of his hands. "Guys…"

Both Ashe and Havok relaxed their posture, moving their hands away from their weapons – Havok tucked his bow behind his shoulder. A few seconds later, the girl sheathed her rapier as well and let out a sigh.

He quickly glanced around the area before turning his attention back to the girl. "How long have you been here for?" he asked.

"…I don't know. Three days…or four? I lost count." Her voice was hoarse. "Is that all? They'll respawn soon."

Using her gloved left hand, the girl pushed herself off the wall and turned around before shuffling away. Her cape's backside was in tatters – it was a miracle that it lasted for this long. Each step that she took caused her to wobble – she could barely straighten herself after each one.

"You can't keep going on like this!" he yelled to her back. "You'll die of exhaustion!"

The girl stopped in her tracks, leaned her shoulder on the right wall, and turned her head around slowly. Itharius could make out her bloodshot eyes from where he stood. "…Everyone will die in the end anyway."

Behind him, Ashe gasped. Both he and Havok could only stare at the girl.

"Where and how you die…and whether it's sooner or later…is the only difference…" She trailed off, falling towards the floor.

"Damnit…" Itharius broke into a sprint. The world around him slowed down to a standstill as he inched closer towards her. With barely a second to spare, he caught her body before it collapsed onto the stone floor. Using his free hand, he drew back her hood. "So young…," he muttered. "Val, Eric, give me a hand here!"

* * *

 _Soft…_

Asuna – Asuna Yuuki – thought it strange that the labyrinth's floor was soft; having slept on the stone floor within the safe area for three nights straight, she expected a cold, hard surface to be pressed against the back of her head. Instead, she could almost sink into…whatever it was that was beneath her. None of the beds in the rooms that she rented up to this point gave her this sense of comfort; at best, they were only slightly better than sleeping on a couch.

 _Perhaps I've finally died_. She entertained that notion. _What other explanation could there be?_ Those strangers she met earlier would've most likely left her for dead – she'd heard stories of desperate players looting others for supplies and equipment. _And yet…_ She couldn't feel any signs of malice from the three. And that man…he didn't have to explain anything at all, and yet he did.

Her cheeks felt warm. _Maybe, just maybe…_

Asuna opened her eyes and found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Like the countless inn rooms she rented before, it was white – however, the similarities ended there. The paint appeared fresh, and a lamp hung from a point somewhere at the bottom right of her field of vision. Groaning, she tried to lift her head up – it took her three attempts before she could finally get up.

She was not in a room at an inn – it was too spacious to be one. To her right was a simple wooden desk placed in front of a window; orange rays of sunlight streamed through and made a square on the floor. A white wool carpet covered most of the floor. The room had two doors, one on the wall to her immediate left at the far end, the other at the far right corner on the wall opposite of the desk.

A blonde woman was sitting on the recliner on the far wall, reading a brown book with one hand. Asuna squinted – she recognized that woman. It was the same person that stood behind that man – the only thing missing was the sword strapped on her back.

"…Unnecessary…effort…," she croaked. Her throat felt dry.

"Hmm?" The blonde put her book down on the recliner's right armrest. "Ah…" She smiled at Asuna. "You're awake at last. We thought we lost you back there."

Asuna leaned back against the bed – it was becoming difficult for her to hold herself up. As the sheets fell off her, she noticed that, aside from her hood, her clothes were the same as she wore up until today. _Where is it?_ Her eyes darted towards the dresser at the right wall – she found it draped across the top.

"Unnecessary…" she said again with her hoarse voice.

The woman got up from her seat and walked over to the bed. She dragged the chair from the desk over and sat down facing Asuna. "How are you feeling?" she asked with a smile.

"I…I don't know…" She coughed. "…Thirsty…"

There was a pitcher and a set of glasses on the desk. The woman turned around, poured a glass of water, and handed it over. "Here. Try not to drink too fast – you've just gotten up, after all."

Asuna took small, gradual sips – each one washed away the dryness and pain in her throat.

Even though it had been three weeks already, she still hadn't accustomed herself to how _real_ this world was. Each breadth of wind that flew by her, each step that she walked, each morsel of food that she ate – all were indistinguishable from the same experiences in the real world. Sooner or later, she might even lose sight of the distinction between reality and this… _prison_.

As soon as she finished, she handed the glass back to the woman. "…Thank you…"

The woman nodded.

Asuna took a moment to study the woman's features. She was sure that the woman was a foreigner –her facial features didn't resemble any Japanese person she knew. Her blonde hair flowed down past her shoulders, ending just below her shoulder blades. _She really must be beautiful in real life._ Her most striking feature, however, was her emerald-green eyes; Asuna was sure they could see right through her. Despite that, they gave off a warm feeling – she calmed down after staring at them for a while.

"The realism…I have to give Kayaba-sensei due credit. To think that he would choose to trap us all in here…" The woman sighed. "Well, what's done is done, and we can only hope that victory will bring us freedom." She straightened herself up. "Oh…how rude of me. My name's Ashelia, but you can call me Ashe – all of the guys do."

Asuna paused for a bit before answering, "…Asuna…"

"I see…Asuna…" She smiled at her. "Well, I'm glad that you're alright. For a while there, we were worried. You were mumbling all sorts of things while he carried you back here."

"He? Here?"

"Ah, right… We're just within Tolbana's borders. This is a villa that we've rented for the time being. Beats renting out rooms at an inn, if you ask me – private rooms, a personal kitchen, a garden, a bath –."

Asuna's face twitched. "…a bath?"

Ashe blinked twice. "It's the door to your left." She pointed at the door. "I was going to take one in a bit, but you're more than welcome to use it first."

"May I?"

Ashe nodded again. "We can pick up where we left off afterwards."

Asuna got off the bed and ambled over to the bathroom. Closing the door, she turned around and gasped. The bathroom was rather spacious – it had a dressing area in addition to a full-sized black marble bathtub fused to the wall, which occupied a large portion of the room. There was a sink and a mirror on the wall to her right. Solid wooden shelves occupied by towels and bathing condiments – she assumed that they were decorations – lined the left wall.

 _So such things exist in this world…_

Wasting no time, she undressed and turned on the taps. It took a while for the tub to fill up with warm water – it felt very real to her as she touched it. Once the tub was filled to the brim, she placed her left leg in first, testing the water's temperature. Satisfied, she stepped into the tub and leaned back until she was fully submerged.

 _It's scary how real this feels_ , she thought as the warmth enveloped her. Raising her head slightly above water level, she let out a low moan. Her body relaxed – the first time in three weeks. Aside from the slight blurring at the edge of her field of vision, the details of the water were no different from reality.

Ten minutes later, she finally got out of the tub and allowed it to drain. A part of her wanted to soak for just a little longer – she had to remind herself that Ashe was still waiting outside. On instinct, she reached for one of the towels, and found that they could be used; the towels were rather fluffy and comfortable, in addition to drying her in record time. Materializing her clothes sans the armor back on, she stepped back outside.

Ashe was still sitting in the same wooden seat, drinking a glass of water. Now that her senses have returned to her, she noticed that Ashe was wearing only casual clothes – a simple white blouse, a pair of grey cloth pants, and dark brown leather boots.

Asuna sat down on the recliner.

"Feeling better?"

"I really needed that." Asuna smiled faintly. "Thank you…"

"It's not a big deal. In fact, I should be the one thanking you – now I have an excuse to drag him in with me later tonight, hehe."

"Um… _him_?" Asuna raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, right… How do I put it…" Ashe scratched the back of her head. "He's the one that found you earlier today in the labyrinth, and the one that carried you all the way back here." A faint smile broke across her face. "I thought he was going to have a heart attack by the time we got back here – you were heavier than you appeared to be. Anyways…he's my…significant other. _Boyfriend_ just doesn't cut it." Asuna caught sight of a platinum band on Ashe's right ring finger. "And he's also our guild leader – or Praetor, that's what most people use."

"Guild…?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry…I don't understand at all."

Her eyes widened. "Don't tell me this is your first MMO?"

Asuna could only nod. She had only tried her brother's NerveGear, and by extension this game, on a whim. Her 'gaming experience' was next to nonexistent – the only games she touched before now were the ones she could get for free on her smartphone.

"Good grief… But, back there…" Ashe muttered to herself. "…I see. Well, no matter. We can deal with that later. For now, you can think of guilds as 'groups of players with common interests.' Although, in our case, we're closer to friends."

"I see."

"I'm sure you have lots of questions. I know _he's_ got a lot to ask you. We can talk more about it over dinner – it should be ready just about now." She got up from her seat and made her way across the room. "Care to join us?"

Following Ashe, she stepped outside the room. The hallway was well-lit – gas lamps lined the wall at regular intervals. She could see the doors to five other rooms – the villa must be really large, she thought, if it can accommodate six rooms the size of the one she was in. Asuna slowly descended the oak staircase. She then followed Ashe down another hallway.

Halfway through, she passed by a half-opened door. Asuna heard snippets of the voice she recognized as the man who first found her earlier that day.

"…so those amateurs finally caught up to us, eh? Well, that's to be expected – it's been three weeks already."

Not wanting to be rude to her 'host,' Asuna hurried away. She stopped in front of the next door down and made her way inside.

The dining room was by far the most spacious room in this villa. It could easily fit twenty people and still have enough room to walk around. A heavy oak round table with twelve seats was placed at the center of the room – there was setting for nine people. Six of those seats were occupied – Ashe sat at the far end of the room. Next to her was one of the others she encountered earlier – he appeared to be the oldest of anyone present. To his right was a spectacled brunette – she didn't seem to be much older than her. The remaining three men were busy chatting among themselves. Every single one of them was a foreigner – American, she dared to venture a guess; the eldest resembled an American doctor she saw on television a while back.

Ashe glanced around the room before speaking. "Everyone, this is Asuna. For now, she'll be staying with us, so please make her welcome."

"Glad to see that you've picked yourself up, lass," the eldest said. "I'm Havok – the bowman from earlier."

"Athena," the brunette said, adjusting her glasses. "I didn't think anyone else this young made it this far yet."

The others – Tristan, Gabriel, and Oz – introduced themselves shortly after.

The door to the kitchen flew open, allowing another blonde woman carrying a heavy pot to come through. Despite the size of the pot, she managed to carry it all the way to the table without incident. She placed the pot right on top of the support mat. "Phew…" She let out a short breath. "Thought I was going to trip at some point."

"We have a guest tonight, Cecilia," Ashe said, pointing at Asuna.

"Oh?" The woman in question turned to face her. "Ah, the mysterious guest. Welcome. I'm Freya, second tank and chef extraordinaire – a.k.a. Cecilia. Pleased to meet you…"

"…Asuna."

"Asuna, right. Well, the stew's just finished, and you look like you could use a serving. Help yourself – it's the best I've managed to conjure up so far."

With that said, Freya took one of the remaining seats with a setting. She reached for the ladle, tapped it against the pot, brought it over to Asuna's bowl, and tapped on the edge. At once, a thick, viscous stew materialized in her bowl. Asuna could make out the ingredients; the brown cubes were most likely beef, while the dark yellow cylinders appeared to be potatoes.

One by one, the others took turns 'scooping' their servings of stew. "Let's eat!" Freya declared once everyone had a portion.

Asuna reached for her spoon and took a bite. _Delicious._ The beef had just the right amount of flavor – a mixture of peppers and gravy. As for the potatoes, they helped to even out the saltiness of the broth. None of the virtual food she had up until now could compare; certainly not the black bread she forced herself to eat for the past few days, or even the most expensive dishes she could find at the inns in town.

"Who'd you scrounge the beef from, C.C.?" asked Tristan.

"Sif dropped by earlier today – she had extras from the cream quest. Most of Cottus' hooked on that flavor. Someday, I'll be able to replicate it – when I can get my cooking high enough."

The conversation went along those lines for the next few minutes. Asuna, for the most part, resigned herself to observing her 'companions.' True to Ashe's depiction, they seemed more like old friends than anything – she wondered how long they've known each other for. Focusing her eyes, she saw that there was a symbol – a white background with two diagonally crossed silver swords laid beneath a black spear pointed upwards, all of which were surrounded by a blue Mobius strip – on top of their HP bars. _So that's what she meant by 'guild.'_

"So, Asuna –." The door leading to the hallway opened. "Oh, Alex, all done with shop?"

Asuna turned around and saw the person in question – the same man that came across her in the labyrinth. In proper lighting, he was even more imposing than earlier – other than Havok, he was tallest person in the room. Her eyes remained on him as he strode over to the table and took his seat at Ashe's left.

The man looked directly at her from across the table. "Asuna, I take it?"

She nodded.

"I see Ashe's care has done you good. These bodies may be only virtual avatars, but we still have to take care of them." He paused to take a drink of water. "I'm Alexander Engström, but in this world, I go by the handle of Itharius. And, as Ashe may have already told you, I'm the leader of this guild, _Hresvelgr_."

 _Engström, Engström…_ The name seemed familiar to her, yet she couldn't place its significance. _No matter._ Knowing the identity of the one who 'rescued' her from the labyrinth was more than enough for now.

"Thank you…for earlier," she said.

"Enough people have died without cause. I'd hate to have another case happen right before my eyes." Itharius helped himself to a portion of the stew. "Then again, that wasn't the only reason we brought you back here."

 _Were they expecting compensation?_ She didn't have much on her, but there should be enough for a token of appreciation. "…Can you elaborate?"

"We can discuss this after dinner – there's a study in this villa that I'm using as my temporary office. I'm sure the both of us have questions we want answered." He took a bite of the stew. "Excellent as always, Cecilia. You might even give Gunther a run for his money."

Freya's eyes gleamed. "Just give us a time, and I'll be glad to demonstrate!"

The rest of dinner passed without fanfare. Asuna finished her portion of the stew and helped herself to seconds, like many of the others. Even then, there was still some stew left by the time everyone finished – Cecilia carried the pot off towards the kitchen.

Itharius and Ashe departed shortly afterwards. Not wanting to keep them waiting, Asuna followed behind. They led her towards the door she passed by earlier that evening and stepped inside.

The room was befitting of a 'study.' The walls were lined with bookshelves crammed with all manner of texts and volumes, all bound with colored leather. A fireplace was embedded into the far wall – the hearth was burning with a furious shade of orange. Two leather loveseats stood at each side in front of the fireplace, facing a mahogany center table.

Both Itharius and Ashe sat down on the left loveseat. Asuna followed suit on the right. There was minimal illumination at her position – her eyes squinted as they adjusted to the ambient light.

"So…," Itharius began. "You were wondering why I – no, we – saved you from certain demise earlier, correct?"

Asuna remained silent for a few moments. Across from her, Ashe reached behind Itharius with her right arm and placed it around his shoulders, drawing closer to his side. _I see now…so that's what she meant._

"While it's true that I didn't want to leave you to die in that place, that wasn't the only reason why we brought you all the way back here. If it was just that, we could've just left you at the nearest inn in Tolbana." He let out a small cough. "How should I say this…I was impressed by how you handled yourself earlier."

"Clarify, please."

He leaned further back into the seat, placing his right arm on the armrest. "Your rapier – to be more precise, your «Linear» – was moving faster than the default system setting. Considering that this is your first FullDive experience, much less your first MMO, you've done exceptionally well, mastering the nuances like that."

"I see…" Asuna took a deep breath. "Even though this is my first experience with…Virtual Reality, how could you tell?"

"I–" Ashe nudged him on the left shoulder. "–no, we, all of _Hresvelgr_ trapped in this world, have been using FullDive technology for far longer than it's been available to the general public. In fact, you could say that we were the original testers for the device. Although it was for another game, and the immersion effect was far less…complete than what's here now." Itharius let out another short cough. "I've been using the prototypes since 2017 – Ashe followed suit a few months later. The rest of my guild's had access to the private test models from 2019 onwards."

"Five years?" Asuna mulled over the facts. Compared to her, these people were experts – no, far beyond that. There would be no way for her to catch up to them. _So what do they expect from me?_

"More or less," he said. "That's the reason why we've been able to make this much progress in so little time. There really wasn't much for the rest of the guild to accustom themselves to – aside from a few stragglers, most of them caught on within a few hours."

"Are there more of you? I've already met everyone in this house, I think."

"Including myself, thirty-three of us are trapped in this game," Ashe answered. "The rest of us are holed up in two separate locations further in town – try fitting thirty-three people in this place. There were supposed to be more of us, but…" Her left hand began to tremble.

Itharius caught her left hand with his. "It's alright, Val…" He looked at Asuna. "It's a very contentious issue for the both of us. On one hand, we were hoping to have all of us here – the situation wouldn't be quite as dire if all fifty-five of the expected players were in the game. On the other, we're glad that they're safe in the real world – they were supposed to join us two days after the launch. But, as you can probably figure out by now…"

"You're short on people, aren't you?" She leaned forward. "I think I know what you're going to ask of me next."

Ashe squeezed his shoulder. "I told you she was a bright one."

"So she is." Itharius flexed his right hand. "We're not asking you to join _Hresvelgr_ right away – after all, we've known each other for less than a day. Rather, we'd like you to party with us – see what you can do, and how you can get better, and fight alongside us. It's a better guarantee of survival than what you have now."

"Survival… So all of you really believe what…he…said?"

"We don't know, and there's no way to confirm what Kayaba claimed. However, we have to assume the worst – and that's the reason why all of us are working so hard right now – to clear the game and find our way back home."

"I see… So, what happens if I refuse?"

"You're more than welcome to leave – we're not holding you prisoner here. But…" He looked straight into her eyes – she could feel his gaze _drill_ into her. "…if that were the case, we would've never found you where we did, wouldn't we?" Ignoring her confusion, he pressed on. "We both know the reason why you were fighting all by yourself in that labyrinth for four days straight – you want to find a purpose in this world. Tell me if I'm wrong."

Asuna couldn't refute that. True to his words, she had left the Starting City two weeks ago for that purpose – she would rather live, fight, and, above all, _exist_ than spend any more time cowering in terror. And so she did – she spent countless hours mastering the «Linear» and made it all the way to the labyrinth all on her own.

Taking her silence as tacit approval, Itharius pressed on. "So, what say you? Care to find out what waits at the other side of this purgatory?" His eyes – those cobalt-blue eyes – remained locked on her, never blinking even once.

"…I guess I only have one answer after all…"

* * *

"…I'm sure he'll have more to say in the morning," Ashe said.

After Asuna had given her answer, Itharius received a message; he made a downward-swipe motion with his right fingers on his ears and materialized a compact headset. At that point, Ashe had ushered her out of the room along with herself. "Guild business," she had said to her once they were out the door.

They were now in front of one of the rooms upstairs. Ashe was busy manipulating a white screen projected in front of the doorknob – the room's privileges control panel.

"There, all done." Ashe pinched her right fingers together, causing the screen to vanish. "I've put you up with Athena for the time being."

"Athena…" Asuna took a moment to recall the name. "Ah. Will that be alright?"

"She may not look like it, but she's very sociable once you get to know her." Ashe furrowed her brows. "Athena…she…the past few weeks weren't easy for her. I'm sure you understand." Her cheery disposition returned. "In any case, please try to get along with her."

With that said, Ashe walked over to her room and disappeared inside, leaving Asuna all alone.

"Guilds, huh…?" she whispered to herself. Opening the door, she stepped inside.

For the most part, her new room wasn't too different from Ashe's. Instead of the single king-sized bed, her room had two queen-sized beds. There was a chest – extra personal storage space – at the foot of each bed. To Asuna's relief, her room also had an attached bathroom.

The room's other occupant was sitting at the desk, viewing what appeared to be video feeds. From where she stood, Asuna could make out some of the footage – it appeared to be a trek through the labyrinth.

"What a day…" Athena let out a long-drawn sigh and closed her windows. Turning around, she caught sight of Asuna. "Oh, hi. Ashe mentioned that you'd be rooming with me."

"I guess so." Asuna took a seat at the empty recliner. "I didn't know video feeds existed in this game."

"Oh, these?" Athena opened a small holographic window. "They're actually recordings. I was just watching archives from a few days ago."

"I don't recall seeing that option anywhere in the menus."

"You can't do it normally." She tapped her spectacles. "These allow me to record whatever I see. You could say that they're…a gift of sorts…from the one who invited us here."

 _Kayaba?_ Asuna's eyes went wide. "Ashe never mentioned why all of you were here in the first place."

"She didn't?" Athena turned her seat to face Asuna. "It's kind of a funny story, actually." She leaned back. "Argus wanted to demonstrate what experienced players could do in SAO, so they recruited us. Itharius and Loki managed to convince most of the guild to come along."

"…Loki?"

"Knife nut. Has the same authority in the guild as Ashe, if not more. He's in charge of the unit across town." She coughed. "Anyways, we're going off topic. Point is, we were supposed to be playing this game as a _game_ before everything went to hell. Thank god all of us had previous experience with FullDive."

"What about the glasses?"

"The job I was tasked with." A bitter laugh escaped Athena's lips. "It wasn't even supposed to be mine – my sister had things to take care off on that day, and I ended up taking her place. The rest, well – that goes without saying."

Both of them fell silent. _Just like me…_ , she thought. "I guess we both have something in common."

"Brother or sister?"

"Older brother. Although it was more out of curiosity in my case. The way he talked about the game…I wanted to see for myself the world he described." Asuna's expression darkened. "If only I'd known…"

"There's no use crying over spilled milk. The only thing we can do…no, the only thing we _should_ do is to move forward. But I'm sure that you know that already, right?"

She nodded.

"In any case, come tomorrow, I'll show you what I can do. They've set up a makeshift training area in the back." A faint smile appeared on Athena's face. "I'm sure that you'll surprise me. _He_ doesn't take notice of just anybody."

"…Is it that obvious?"

Athena laughed once again, this time in amusement. "I may not have been as involved with the guild as much as my sister, but I've been around for long enough. Trust me, the fact that you're here proves that you've piqued _his_ interest."

* * *

 _November 24, 2022_

For all intents and purposes, the _World's End Tavern_ remained as deserted as it was three weeks ago. As Loki glanced around the first floor, he only saw other NPCs at the tables and booths. He was surprised – a large number of people had chosen to hole up within the city; this location should have been discovered by now.

Loki sighed and continued to nurse his goblet of ruby claret. _She's running late_. He'd been waiting for well over ten minutes by this point. While there was no risk of dying as long as he remained within the borders of the Starting City, he'd rather avoid drawing attention to himself. _Especially considering the current state of affairs…_

A short hooded figure stepped through the front door and scurried over to his booth, taking a seat opposite to him. "Malt," she said to an NPC waitress that passed by.

Loki smirked. "Thought you didn't like the stuff."

"Things change." Argo adjusted her hood, allowing more light to touch her face. From where he sat, Loki could make out signs of fatigue underneath her eyes. "You've got some nerve coming back here. I'm surprised that there isn't a mob after your head."

"I have my ways of getting around." He took another sip of the claret. "If anything, I'd be more worried about you."

"Everyone needs what I'm peddling. I'll live." She propped her elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Well, it's your show. What was so important that you were willing to come back all the way here just to meet me?"

"«The Knight»."

"I figured." Argo let out a long-drawn sigh. "He's not a threat to _him_ , as far as I know."

"Just stick to the facts."

"Fine. His party's been spotted around Tolbana's outskirts for the past couple of days. They're all decently equipped – most of it comes from NPC smiths. As for him…" She paused while the waitress set her order to her immediate right. "…well, let's just say that it's next to impossible to not take notice of him."

"Gawain and Karen have already dug that much up." Loki leaned back further against the booth. "Get to the important part."

"And you wonder why none of the others like you…" Argo drained half of her mug. "You've already met him. If I remember right, the last time you two met, you ended up decking him in the jaw."

Loki's eyes widened. "Him!? That degenerate's still alive after all this time?" He laughed. "Of all the people from the beta, it's him that's trying so hard to be what he's really not?"

"Some of us would beg to differ."

"No one is better than _Itharius_ in that respect." He gulped down a sizable portion of the claret; the edges of his field of vision began to blur. "I don't recall seeing his name on the monument."

"He goes by a different handle now. _Diabel_."

"How fitting. Matches his true colors far better than his last." A dark brown pouch of col materialized in his right hand. He pushed it across the table towards Argo. "Anything else I should know?"

"He was really curious about that announcement you had me post up at all the major hubs. Paid me a king's ransom to find out where it came from." She took the pouch and made it vanish beneath her cloak. "Knowing him…"

"Let him try. _All_ of us are going to be there." Loki straightened up in his seat. "Speaking of which, you sure you don't want to come along with us?"

"I'll pass. Raids, let alone parties, aren't my thing. Besides…I doubt that I'll be of any real use."

He shrugged. "Your loss."

Loki got out of the booth and made his way to the front door. Turning around, he faced Argo as he opened the door. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

"When have I not?"

* * *

Although only a few exist at this point, there are players who've chosen to pursue support professions, such as tailoring and blacksmithing, in lieu of full combat builds. While they risk ending up shorthanded in the field, the utility of their support skills all but ensure a significant income stream; there were limits to the services NPCs are able to provide.

For the past three weeks, Loki and the rest of _Hresvelgr_ were forced to depend on NPCs for everything, whether it be supplies, equipment maintenance, or unloading excess items. There would come a time when they would need access to reliable craftsmen – as they traversed up through Aincrad's floors, player-made items and services would only grow in value. At this point, however, no one within the guild had any skill slots to spare; with only four skill slots available, they were dedicated towards vital abilities such as armor licenses, weapon certifications, concealment, tracking, and analysis skills, among others. Tyr and Cecilia were the only two to pick up a support skill – cooking – and only because they could no longer stomach the food being served at Tolbana's inns.

As he entered the city's foundry, Loki took a deep breath. The air within was sweltering; rivulets of sweat ran down his forehead. NPCs shuttled back and forth across the floor, carrying stacks of metal. Others hammered weapons and armor into shape without pause at the massive anvils bolted to the ground. From where he stood, Loki could see the three principle vendor NPCs – one sold melee weapons, another sold armor, and the last sold ranged weapons. All of them stood in front of racks displaying their merchandise.

He caught sight of a young girl heating an ingot of metal at one of the forges. Focusing his eyes, he saw a green player cursor above her head. Her brown hair was cropped just beneath her ears; a white hairclip kept her forehead clear. The rest of her attire was nondescript – an orange sweater and a knee-length white skirt accompanied by a striped red and white apron.

Loki's eyes continued to track her as she set the white-hot ingot on top of the nearest anvil and began hammering it into shape. With each strike of her hammer, a loud _CLANG_ resonated through the foundry. Fifteen strikes later, the ingot transformed into a gleaming steel longsword; the light from the nearby forge made it glow brightly.

"A splendid weapon," Loki said as he approached her. "It'll serve its owner well, I'm sure."

The girl picked up the longsword with her left hand and began inspecting it. "It's nothing special," she replied, keeping her eyes on the blade. "I've made fifteen of these already."

"Fifteen…you've been at this for some time, then?"

She sent the longsword into her inventory. "Started three days after launch. It pays the bills…just barely. There isn't much to work with on this floor."

"I'd imagine. Metals aren't easy to come by at this point. Not to mention most people don't have a dime to their names, or aren't willing to shell out."

The girl wiped the sweat off her forehead. She focused her gaze on his health bar and gasped. "You're one of… _them_ , aren't you?" Her eyes darted across the room. "I never thought I'd see one in person –."

"Shh – not so loud." He paused to take a breath. "I'd rather be alive for another day."

"Sorry," she said with a low voice. "But still, I never expected one to show up here, of all places. What could you possibly want from here?"

"It's a long story – one that's better told elsewhere. How about joining me for lunch?"

"That's rather forward of you…" She blinked twice. "…eh, who are you, exactly?"

"Loki."

"I'm Lisbeth." She offered her hand, which he shook at once. "It doesn't look like I'll be selling much today, so sure, why not."

They chose a nearby inn to dine at. As it was getting close to noon, there were other players present. To avoid attention, Loki chose the booth at the furthest corner from the front.

They placed their orders with the innkeeper – yet another generic male «Innkeeper» NPC. Once he departed, Loki scanned the floor to make sure no one was looking their way. Satisfied, he drew back his hood and relaxed.

"Are all the 'other ones' like you?" Lisbeth asked.

"We don't keep in contact with each other. It's better that way for all parties involved." He drummed his left fingers on the table. "That being said, I'm one of the more sociable ones – most of us prefer to solo."

"Some would say that's the reason why there's so much resentment against all of you."

"Everyone's entitled to their opinion, whether they're right or not." His right hand, hidden beneath the table, began to clench. "What did they expect – all of us to teach them how to play this game?"

"It might have helped. Two thousand people have died already."

"Some things can't be taught." Loki shifted his gaze towards the table's surface. "If anything…the ones that died just couldn't adapt."

Lisbeth's eyes widened. "Do you just not care?"

"M'dear…I care too much." He let out a long-drawn sigh. "There's nothing to be gained grieving over the dead. They're gone, and that's that."

The innkeeper returned with their orders. He set down a bowl of salad and a mug of dark brown liquid on Lisbeth's side. After that, he placed a plate of ribs and potato chunks and a goblet of port in front of Loki. Without waiting for acknowledgement, he walked back to his default position behind the bar.

Lisbeth ate a few bites of the salad before speaking again. "So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"In good time – heh, the NPC cooks are getting better." He finished swallowing the ribs and potatoes. "I don't see why Gunther and C.C. were throwing such a fit over this…" Aside from a few hard bits, the ribs broke down with two chews and went down without a hitch. Both the ribs and potatoes tasted close enough to their 'real' counterparts.

She muttered a few choice phrases under her breath. "It's just pixels and information. None of this is real – why does it matter how food tastes? It fills you up, nothing more."

"For better or worse, this is our reality now." He took a sip of his drink. "How we 'live' is just as important as staying alive."

"Wish I could say that…"

The rest of the meal passed in silence.

Loki finished the last of his drink – the goblet vanished from his left hand. "It's a tough job, isn't it?"

"Depends… Getting supplies can be a hassle at times. Not to mention that it can take days for me to unload my stock." A wan smile appeared on her face. "But I still think it's worth it – the look on my customers' faces is more than enough to get me by."

"I see…" He nodded. "I'll get straight to the point, then. I'm looking for a blacksmith to work exclusively for my guild."

Lisbeth raised an eyebrow. "Me? Surely there're others far more suited for the job."

"That longsword you made earlier is testament to your skill. There's no one else more qualified."

"Still…" She glanced around the room. "I find it hard to believe that your…guild…would send someone all the way back here just for a blacksmith."

Loki chuckled. "You'd be surprised. Weapons are, after all, the difference between life and death. NPCs can only serve us so far."

Lisbeth said nothing for the next half minute, instead taking small sips of her drink. The lamp above swayed as if a gust of wind blew through the room.

"Let's say I take up your…offer," she said. "What's in it for me? I already have a customer base. There's not too much I can't get on my own. Not to mention I'd be putting a giant target on my head just by being seen with you."

"Where to begin…" He leaned forward, propping his elbows on top of the table. "For starters, access to the best materials available – there'll be no comparison between what you can get now and what we can provide. You'll never have to set foot in the field again if you don't want to, although…"

"That much is obvious. Tempting, but…"

Loki brought out a scrap of paper and scribbled on it. He pushed it across the table towards Lisbeth.

She picked it up – her eyes went wide upon seeing the writing. "I didn't think such an amount was within reach…"

"This is just for starters – we can always renegotiate in the future."

Lisbeth sighed. "…alright, so that part's taken care of. But you still haven't addressed the most important issue. No offense, but I'd rather not get stabbed or shot at every twenty paces in the field."

"So it comes down to that, eh?" Loki leaned back into the booth, taking his arms off the table. "Safety is the least of your concerns. We take care of our own. Anyone that threatens us, well…" He fixed his gaze on Lisbeth's irises. "…I'll leave that to your imagination."

She gulped. "…am I going to regret this?"

"There's no reward without risk." He paused to take a deep breath. "This offer expires the moment I leave. A simple _yes_ or _no_ will suffice."

"This isn't a decision I can just make on the spot."

"My compatriots are expecting me. And there are others who'd jump at the chance to work with us."

Lisbeth frowned. "So why not just ask them in the first place?"

"You already know why, m'dear." A grin crept up on his face. "There won't be an opportunity like this in the future. So, I'll ask again – _yes,_ or _no_?"

* * *

Steel blades clashed, sending white sparks flying into the air. With each strike, Asuna felt a bit of her strength fade away. _If this keeps up…_ She narrowly avoided a lunge aimed at her chest, dodging to her left.

Until now, she had only fought against system-generated mobs. While they were dangerous in their own right, their movements became predictable after a few encounters. At best, they possessed a few sword skills – most of them were only capable of visible attacks.

Her current 'duel' against Ashe was putting all her skills to the test. She was barely holding up against her opponent; so far, none of her strikes had managed to penetrate.

"C'mon, stop trying to hit me and HIT ME!" Ashe said as she performed another «Slant». It took all of Asuna's strength to parry the blow – her upper arm ached from the recoil.

"I'm trying!" She tightened her grip on her «Wind Fleuret (3A3D)».

It had been Ashe who suggested this particular 'exercise' earlier in the morning. As they were within Tolbana's town limits, there would be no risk of dying – any strikes that landed would only trigger a knockback effect on the target.

That knockback effect, however, hurt just as much as actual hits from mobs in the field.

She drew her right hand back, charged up another «Linear», and thrust her rapier straight towards Ashe's left breast, only for it to be parried by her opponent's jet-black longsword. In the space of a second, Ashe countered with another strike on her right shoulder, sending her straight down with a loud _THUD_.

Ashe reached down towards her with her left hand. "Again…?" she said as she pulled her back up. "Attacks like that rarely work against human opponents, if ever."

"…that's easy for you to say. You're not the one getting knocked down all the time."

"More excuses…" Ashe sighed. "I didn't get my skills by complaining. Neither will you." She pointed her sword straight at Asuna – three centimeters of air separated the blade from her nose. "Ready yourself – we're not done yet."

As soon as Asuna drew her rapier, Ashe struck again, this time with a «Horizontal» approaching her torso from the right. Rather than waste her strength on parrying the strike, she leapt back – the sword skill missed her with only millimeters to spare. Once she landed, she prepared to counter with a thrust, only to find that Ashe had already regained control. _How does she do it?_ Barely a second had passed since the «Horizontal» ended – Ashe should still be recovering from the cooldown. Yet she was already set to deliver another strike.

"Grrr…" Asuna dug her heels into the grass and shot straight ahead, thrusting her rapier in front of her. While «Sonic Leap» wasn't the strongest attack available to her, it was by far the fastest in her repertoire – she should be able to land a hit at the very least. Half a second later, she was directly in front of Ashe, her rapier swinging downwards towards her left shoulder…only to be countered by Ashe's «Uppercut» - a teal glow enveloped her longsword.

"I was right after all…" Ashe brought her sword to the fore. "Again!"

Fourteen rounds later, Asuna collapsed onto the grass, her strength depleted. Her entire body ached – her arms and legs refused to budge. Sweat drenched through her clothing and armor; her hair clung to the back of her neck.

"There's a lot of work to be done." Ashe sheathed her weapon and stretched her arms above. She took a deep breath and walked towards Asuna, stopping directly in front of her. "Here," she said, pulling Asuna up by her forearm. "Walk it off – you'll feel much better in a while."

She followed Ashe into the villa's garden. After a few steps, the cramps and aches in her leg muscles began to subside. _Just like in the real world._ It was become more and more difficult to differentiate between 'reality' and 'simulation' – there were few true differences between the environment she now inhabited and the 'world' beyond. Given enough time, she might even forget the finer details of her life outside.

 _As if that would ever happen!_ She clenched her right first.

"Don't be so glum. Very few of us are experts from the get-go. Believe it or not, it took me quite some time before I mastered melee combat. Give it time, and your blade will be an extension of your arm."

"…is that all there is to it?" Asuna kept her eyes facing forward.

"More or less." Ashe let out a small cough. "Either you have the skillset right from the start, or practice until it becomes second nature. Dedication is the one and only thing that separates the pros from the rest."

Despite her best efforts, Asuna could not come up with a proper reply. _She's right…_ Five years of experience separated her and Ashe. No matter how much she practiced from now on, the gap would always remain in one form or another.

"…everything alright?" Ashe turned to face her.

"Shouldn't we be getting back to practice?"

"In due time. It's been less than ten minutes since we stopped."

They both arrived at the center of the garden – a stone circular fountain ringed by yellow daffodils. The fountain itself was emitting a steady stream of mist in addition to water – Asuna could feel moisture accumulating on her cheeks. The combination of both the mist and the gentle breeze now blowing through the garden lifted her spirits – she no longer felt the fatigue that hung over her since the sparring sessions ended.

Ashe took a seat at one of the four oak benches placed facing the fountain at the cardinal points. She motioned for Asuna to join her. "Half an hour, an hour from now, that practice area's not going anywhere. Try to enjoy the moment."

Asuna set herself down to Ashe's right, leaving a forearm's length of space between them. She sighed, sinking into the bench's backrest.

A minute passed before Asuna spoke up again. "How can you be so calm about this?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"THIS!" She raised both of her arms into the air. "We're trapped here, in this…not-prison, this…false world. Every day that we spend here is one that we lose in the real world." Her face began heating up. "I…I….I have to get back, no matter what it takes! There's no time to waste."

"…false world?" Ashe gazed up at the sky above, shielding her eyes with her right hand. "This may be an artificial environment, but it doesn't make anything here less real."

"Nothing here's real. The grass, the water, the sunlight – all of this is generated computer graphics."

Ashe sighed. "That's true. Regardless, we're still living, aren't we?"

"Living?"

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Ashe let out another long-drawn sigh. "Even in this world…we're still alive. We're still breathing, laughing, working with one another…doing almost the exact same things we would be doing on the other side. If that's not living, then I don't know what is."

Asuna paused to consider those words. Despite _that_ part of her wanting to deny it, the past three and a half weeks have been far more _real_ to her than all the years before on the other side. _The meals I've eaten before…and the stew from the last night – which is more 'real'? To say nothing of how I ended up here, with these people…Ashe…in the first place – could the other me have done all of this?_

She reclined further into the bench. _Perhaps there's more to it than I thought…_

A loud _CLANG!_ interrupted further thought – both Asuna and Ashe rose to attention upon hearing the noise. Without delay, they rose up and briskly made their way back to the practice area, whereupon Asuna was met with the sight of the most intense duel she saw yet. Sparing a moment's glance at Ashe, she saw her eyes light up for a fraction of a second.

Itharius and Tristan were exchanging blows at breakneck speed – Asuna couldn't see the weapons they were wielding at all, only the light that comprised the aftereffects of their sword skills. A «Horizontal» one moment, a «Slant» the very next – all attacks from Tristan were parried by Itharius's own sword skills. All throughout, Itharius's expression remained focused – his eyes never left his opponent for even a single instant.

 _How strong…_ , she thought. From the moment she was told that Itharius carried her out of the dungeon by himself, Asuna was certain that he was one of the strongest players to date, if not the strongest one. There was no excess action on Itharius's part at all – he sidestepped most of the incoming attacks rather than use sword skills to counter, leaving only a hair's breadth of spare space. And when he had to counter, he only used enough force to knock back the other one-handed sword, no more, no less.

 _I see, so that's what he meant by 'excessive.'_

Before she could dwell on it further, Tristan attacked with a «Vertical Arc» - a two-strike combo that formed a V-shaped tear in the air. It took only a second and a half for the whole motion, yet despite its execution time, none of the two strikes connected with Itharius at all. He had sidestepped towards the right, just far enough to avoid the attack's upward arc. From where she stood, she could see that Tristan was unable to move – the delay had already taken effect.

In the span of two seconds, Itharius drew back his sword, charged forward, and traversed counterclockwise around Tristan, landing three consecutive strikes along the torso while spinning clockwise. As soon as he returned back to his starting position, the aftereffects of the attack – a blue triangle denoting the impact points – formed and expanded outwards, causing additional damage to Tristan and knocking him down to the ground.

Words to describe what just transpired did not come to Asuna – no, there simply wasn't a word within reach to describe what she just saw. 'Strong' was an inadequate descriptor for Itharius's talents – if anything, what he could do transcends measurement.

 _I see now…_ She gave herself an inward smile. _This feeling…is most certainly real._

Ashe was the first to speak up. "First time I've seen you do that, Alex."

"Is it?" Itharius reached down with his left arm to help Tristan up. "«Tri-Horizontal» does require a certain number of skillpoints in weapon skills, after all."

"Still in one piece?" Ashe asked.

"Hurts like hell…" Tristan rubbed his sides. "If we weren't in town, I'm sure I'd be dead. Seems that the theory circulating around is true – the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

"Seems like it." Itharius turned his head towards Ashe and Asuna. "Oh…how'd you two do earlier?"

"Still got a long way to go…"

"That bad?" His gaze fell directly on Asuna. "Well, plenty of daylight left. Why don't I take over for now?"

"Be my guest. I could use a drink anyways." She started walking back toward the villa. "Tristan, let's go – I want to hear all about it."

Once Ashe and Tristan were out of hearing range, Asuna moved into the practice ring and faced Itharius. Ten paces separated them. As soon as she readied her posture, the wind fell silent – the only thing she could hear was her steady, calm breathing.

Itharius drew his jet-black sword and pointed it straight at her. "The first rule of combat – always trust your instincts. Let's see whether you've learned that lesson."

At the instant the last syllable left his lips, Itharius shot forward towards her, the glow of his sword trailing behind him.

* * *

 _November 27, 2022_

If there's one thing that could be said about Tolbana, it's that there's no shortage of conversation. Whether it be NPCs going through their automated scripts, or the latest arrivals exchanging words, there was no place in town where he couldn't catch snippets of conversation. Most of it failed to interest him – he had already been in this town long enough to memorize all of the NPCs' responses, and the newcomers did nothing but gossip about casual happenstances.

Itharius took a sip of black coffee, placed the cup back onto the table, and watched as another party passed through the main plaza. _I miss going to one of these places on the other side…_ It was always a pleasant experience watching all kinds of people go about their business – a businessman on the way to his next appointment, a mother taking her daughters out on a shopping trip, couples in the thralls of endearment – the list was endless. _Perhaps this was the reasoning behind having such a place here._

The _Blue Wind_ , the only café in Tolbana, in addition to having a fine selection of drinks and snacks, also had an outdoor customer area where people could sit outside and enjoy the main plaza's ambience. Seven four-seat tables were scattered around the shop's front, each with a dark green canvas canopy umbrella to shield their occupants from sunlight. Aside from his table, three other tables were occupied – two of those hosted randomly-generated NPCs, while the last had a couple poring over what appeared to be a map scroll.

He had been sitting here for the past half-hour, and was growing tired of waiting. _Just how much longer are you going to take?_ The rest of Aigaion were finishing mapping the last sectors of the 20th floor and collecting additional EXP – he would've gone with them had it not been for this matter. Right now, he was the only member of the guild not engaged in productive activity, and it rankled him to no end.

The voice of the person he was expecting came through his left ear. "Sorry for the delay, boss. Extra spawns on the road."

Itharius materialized the headset on his left ear with a swipe motion. "Took you long enough."

"Glad you got a table for four. I found what we were looking for – she's just a few paces behind me."

Itharius's eyes shifted back towards the front – Loki was already seated opposite of him. Even though he had seen him pull this move countless times, it still disturbed him how Loki was able to pull it off.

"Coffee, black. With condiments," Loki said to the NPC waiter next to him.

"Keep that up, and I might actually stab you out of reflex one day." The NPC waiter bowed once and departed back into the café. "How about behaving like a normal person for once?"

"No such animal. Besides, it's far more entertaining to see your responses." He coughed – his demeanor turned serious at once. "«The Rat's» got nothing new to add, but I know who he is now. He's no threat – we simply have too much in our favor."

"Absolutely positive?" Itharius took another sip of the coffee.

"I know him from back _then_. Worst comes to worst, he gets himself killed, and we're rid of another potential dissenter. The skill gap between _them_ and _us_ is just too wide."

"And the fallout?" He raised his eyebrows. "For better or worse, we're going to have to interact with them for the foreseeable future."

"With my latest find, that shouldn't be a problem. Other contingencies…you already know. But that can wait until later – she's here." Loki turned towards the plaza's fountain and made a _tsk_ sound. "Lisbeth, care to join us?"

A brunette about the same age as Asuna ran over, stopping to take a short breath before taking the seat to his immediate left. "Sorry about that – the local NPC smith's selections were something to look at." Turning towards Loki, she said, "Hope I didn't worry you too much – the past few days must've been troublesome."

Loki nodded once. "Anyways, onwards. Itharius, Lisbeth, our new blacksmith." He paused for a few seconds. "Lisbeth, this is Itharius, _Hresvelgr's_ supreme leader."

"A pleasure." Itharius offered her his hand. "I expect great things to come."

Lisbeth shook his hand – her fingers trembled slightly – and settled back into her seat. _Going to have to rectify that_. It wouldn't do to have a blacksmith that had a crisis of confidence.

Turning to face her, he said, "You'll be staying with me from now on. If there's anything you'd like to ask, feel free."

She nodded. "I'll be in your care then."

The NPC waiter returned with a silver platter containing Loki's order – a cup of black coffee, a pot of sugar, and a jug of cream. Setting it down in front of him, the waiter bowed once again and departed. Loki reached for the sugar and added six teaspoons to his coffee along with a sizable amount of cream before stirring. And to Itharius' surprise, he gulped down the coffee in one go.

"Could you at least have the decency to appear proper in public?" he said, shaking his head.

"What's wrong with this? I have jobs to take care off as well – you've already heard the important part."

"So do I, and you don't see me wolfing down my drink, do you?" He sighed. "No matter…say hi to Karen and the others for me."

Loki got up from his seat. "That's a given." Pulling his black cloth hood back over his face, Loki turned to face Lisbeth. "You can always reach me if you need to talk. See you around." With that said, he walked away and disappeared around the corner, all in the space of less than five seconds.

Finishing the last of his coffee, Itharius turned his attention towards Lisbeth again. She was staring at the corner for some time before realizing where she was, whereupon her fingers trembled briefly once again.

"We should get going." He rose from his seat and headed out towards the plaza.

Lisbeth nodded and followed him.

* * *

 _There's only so much realism one needs in a game…,_ Asuna thought as she trudged up the stairs to the villa's second floor. Her arms and legs ached all over from fighting kobolds and traversing the entirety of the tower dungeon for the whole day – if she did anything else, she was sure that they would detach from her avatar and crash onto the floor. Right now, all she wanted to do was to take a bath and enjoy Freya's cooking – everything else can wait until tomorrow.

She entered her room, and was surprised to see that it changed since she last left it. A single bed and storage chest occupied the space near the once empty wall on the far side of the room. Next to that chest, a pile of blacksmithing implements – a hammer, a portable anvil, and what appeared to be parts for a forge – were propped up against the wall. A rucksack sat on top of the bed – some of its contents were strewn over the sheets. _Seems rather haphazard…_

As soon as she entered the room proper, Asuna heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. A stream of mist escaped through the gap at the bottom of the door, obscuring her view of the door's bottom half. Moving closer towards the door, she could hear the bathroom's occupant singing to herself. _That voice…I'm sure I heard it somewhere before._

The flow of water abruptly came to a stop. Asuna leapt back towards the far wall in surprise as the door opened. Steam billowed out of the bathroom – for a brief moment, she couldn't see the floor beneath her ankles. A silhouette around her height appeared within the steam and grew darker as it approached the doorframe. And in an instant, the silhouette vanished, revealing a brunette around her height wearing a blue shirt and brown pants.

"…oh!" the girl in question said. "You must be one of the roommates he mentioned." She reached out towards Asuna with her right hand. "I'm Lisbeth."

Asuna picked herself up and approached the newcomer. "Asuna," she said, taking her hand. "This is new; then again…"

"Itharius didn't tell you?" Lisbeth ran her right hand through her hair. "…I'm supposed to be the guild's blacksmith – or something like that."

Asuna sat down on her recliner, adjusting her posture until she could sink comfortably into the material. "Makes sense, I guess. I heard the others complaining about the NPC blacksmiths a while back. Still…" She took the time to look Lisbeth over – everything about her suggested that she was the same age as Asuna. "No offense, but you don't exactly fit the image of a professional."

"You're not exactly a seasoned veteran yourself."

A small laugh escaped her lips. "…fair enough."

Lisbeth sat down on the edge of her bed, next to her tools. "So, how'd they rope you in?"

"It's a long story."

A smile began to form on Lisbeth's lips. "I've got time. Nothing else to do for the rest of the day."

Asuna eyed the pile of blacksmithing equipment. "Going to sleep next to those?"

Without batting an eyelash, Lisbeth swiped her right fingers down and poked a button. In an instant, all of her tools vanished in a burst of blue sparks. "Like I said, I've got time." Despite the abundance of light in the room, Asuna could see Lisbeth's eyes gleam, as if they were the only source of illumination.

She sighed. "…only if you share as well."

* * *

 _December 1, 2022_

 _God, I wish they'd just…shut up._

Ashe sighed yet again – she'd lost count how many times she did that since she entered the amphitheater. It had taken the better part of an hour for the other players, the ones not in _Hresvelgr_ , to gather here – the rest of the guild were already at their positions, ready to act should things go south. None of them would stop chatting amongst themselves – she couldn't help but overhear the majority of their exchanges. "Not going to happen…," came from one of the larger groups. Had she been just _slightly_ less composed, Ashe would've gone up to them and knocked them down onto the floor – how dare they belittle _him_ so.

She took the opportunity to look over the outsiders once more. Forty-four players had answered their summons for reinforcements for the floor boss raid. Out of these players, there were seven distinct groups, the largest consisting of nine players gathered at the closest benches. They appeared to be led by a tall, blue-haired swordsman. Activating her searching skill, Ashe focused on him, and was surprised at what she saw – his equipment was top-notch, all of it either bought from the best vendors on this floor or obtained from quests. _Another beta tester?_ She was sure Darius had accounted for them all – according to him, none of the ones outside the guild were supposed to be here today. _I'll have to keep an eye on him._

Ashe shifted her attention towards their two newest recruits. Asuna seemed to be doing much better than when she first met her – she was busy chatting away with the other newcomer, Lisbeth. All things considered, both girls have adjusted quite well to the guild. Lisbeth, in particular, had already settled into a routine of sorts. For six hours, she would do nothing but work on her smithing, churning out weapon after weapon without delay. The rest of the time, she practiced her mace skills. "I don't want to be caught unawares," she told Ashe yesterday after a session.

 _With any luck, she'll be indispensable._

The blue-haired player suddenly raised his right hand – his group fell silent at once. He then got up on the stage, turned around to face everyone, and coughed softly into his hands. A few terse seconds passed before he spoke up.

"Thank you all for coming."

 _The nerve!_ Just as Ashe was about to get up and give him a good taste of her mind, Sif, who was sitting next to her, shot out of her seat.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

All eyes in the amphitheater fixated on her. Murmurs began to spread among the unguilded players – _Hresvelgr,_ however, remained silent.

The blue-haired player shrugged. "Calling this meeting to order. Isn't it obvious?"

"Ha ha…" Sif's eyes began to gleam. Slowly, she reached her right arm over her shoulders towards her axe. "Let's see you spout more lines like that after I smash your face in."

At once, the blue-haired player's companions rose up, forming a defensive line around him. At the same time, half of Cottus Battalion readied their weapons. Both sides glared at each other.

 _Oh boy…_ Ashe slowly got up from her seat and moved behind Sif. "Lori," she whispered, "now's not the time. You should probably–."

Slow, loud, clapping could be heard coming from the rear of the amphitheater, just beyond her line of sight. Activating her searching skill, Ashe could make out the faintest hints of a silhouette underneath the rear arch.

"Not a bad way to start this off. Crude, but...refreshing, nonetheless…"

Without so much as a whisper, Loki moved towards the front of the stage, stopping just exactly between the two groups. A smirk appeared on his face for the briefest of moments, replaced by a faint, sinister smile. "Nothing like a good donnybrook to bring East and West together. Of course…" He stole at glance at Sif and Ashe. "…I already know who'll come out on top, so…meh."

"Just who do you think you are?" one of the blue-haired player's companions spoke up.

Loki ignored him, instead choosing to look directly at the blue-haired player. "How's the jaw, _fool_."

The blue-haired player's eyes went wide. "You…," he said in a low voice, rubbing his lower jaw with his left hand.

"Yes, me. Me, me, me…" Loki let out a short laugh. "Just can't stop playing the same tune, can you, _Diabel._ You haven't changed at all since…" His eyes narrowed – he quickly looked over Diabel's companions. "Oh…you haven't told them, have you? Silly me…I only assumed they knew."

"….you…"

From where she stood, Ashe could see the slightest hint of trembling on Diabel's shoulders. His companions began looking amongst themselves, then towards him.

"Enough!" a loud, booming voice came from above.

All eyes, including hers, snapped towards the source of the voice. Standing on top of the amphitheater's central pillar was Itharius, dressed in full combat gear. His silver hooded cape flew in the wind behind him, casting a dark shroud over the entirety of his backside.

"Honestly…behaving like brats…" Itharius sighed. Before the air finished escaping his lips, he leapt off the pillar, landing in a crouched position at the stage's exact center. The ground beneath him shuddered, cracked, and instantly restored itself in a flash of blue.

Turning towards Loki, Itharius said, in a low voice, "What did I tell you just four minutes ago?"

"Just giving someone their _just_ _desserts_." Loki leapt back, leaning against the stage's left pillar. "You have to admit, _he_ deserved it." His gazed locked onto Diabel's eyes.

"This fool?" He glanced sideways at Diabel, only to immediately shift his eyes back. "Not even worth the time."

Itharius closed his eyes, breathed in, and coughed once. Opening his eyes, he began addressing the crowd in a clear, crisp voice.

"So this is the supposedly the best of the best gathered here today?" He took a few seconds to look over the entirety of the amphitheater. "…Well, I suppose it'll have to do. After all, there's the best, and there's the exemplary. Can't expect too many to be the latter."

Another group of unguilded players, a party of six, shot up out of their seats. "Just who do you think you are, saying those things?"

"Heh." Itharius eyed the player that spoke those words. The person in question began to quiver – his feet began to involuntary shuffle back by a few millimeters. "I don't believe introductions are necessary. Anyone who's _anyone_ should already know who I am." He paused, narrowing his eyes for a brief moment. "But…why not…nothing wrong with humoring the _uninformed_ every now and then." He moved closer towards the edge, until he was standing directly in front of the group. "I'm _Itharius_. Ask the other players…" He eyed several among the crowd. "…about my other monikers. And I'm the one that put this meeting together. Don't forget that."

From where she sat, Ashe could hear murmuring among the other players. "The Grim Reaper…" she heard the group closest to her whisper amongst themselves. "Highest player kill count in World of Warcraft."

"As for why we're gathered here today – well, consider it an opportunity in career advancement. Tomorrow, the illusion that the majority of the players are under will be shattered. Tomorrow, my team will vanquish this floor's dungeon boss. And you –." He pointed his finger at the player furthest to the left, sweeping it across the entire crowd. "Are being given the chance to participate in this _historic_ moment."

The crowd was stilled, holding their breath as if expecting him to continue on right then and there. However, the person in question remained silent.

Several seconds passed by before someone else spoke up. A spiky-haired swordsman sitting in the middle of the amphitheater rose up from his seat, snorted, and looked directly at Itharius. "Hang on just a sec," he said in a coarse, raspy voice. "Gotta get this off my chest before I'd even consider playing pretend-friends with the lot of you."

Ashe shifted her attention towards him. Despite standing at full height, the man in question appeared to be rather short compared to the other players gathered. His spiky brown hair resembled the top of a Sonoran cactus. What struck her the most, however, were his eyes – she could see hints of resentment hidden within them, ready to burst out at any given moment.

"Oh?" Itharius looked at the player out of the corner of his right eye. "And who might you be?"

The cactus-headed man snorted, took a few steps forward, and looked straight at Itharius. "The name's Kibaou."

Kibaou took some time looking over all of the players gathered in the amphitheater, stopping for several seconds at the _Hresvelgr_ members. After he was finished, he coughed once, and said in a low, growling voice, "I think you owe all of us an apology."

"Really, now…" Itharius' eyes began to narrow.

"Hah! Ain't it obvious? To the two thousand players who already died. Two thousand players died because _you_ and your _cohorts_ hogged everythin' to yerselves. Ain't that right?"

The crowd fell silent at once. Ashe began to reach for her longsword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. Not a sound could be heard anywhere within the amphitheater – even the wind itself came to a standstill.

"Is that right…?" The corner of Itharius' lips rose by a fraction of a millimeter. "Well…"

In an instant, Itharius crossed the distance between him and Kibaou – he moved so quickly that he might as well have teleported between both spots. Now, he towered above the other player, glaring straight down at him. "I owe no one anything," he said in a low voice. "And neither do my comrades. You want an apology?" He paused for several moments. "Over. My. Dead. Body."

Before Kibaou could retort, Itharius began to circle him, all the while keeping his eyes affixed to his head. "…As for the two thousand departed souls, they were simply unfit to survive this game. Apologize to the unworthy?" He clenched his right fist. "There'll be no such action on my watch. Ever."

Kibaou's fists began to shake. _He's really done it now._ The crowd began to grow restless. Ashe eyed Freya and the rest of Aigaion – save for Asuna and Lisbeth, they were ready to act on her command. _Please don't let it come to that…_

"May I speak?"

A rich, baritone voice emerged from the far edge of the crowd, amongst a group of four players sitting at the edge of the amphitheater. She turned towards the source of the voice, a large, imposing black man. He was easily over six feet tall, and he was completely bald. The chiseled features on his face made him stand out from the other players in his group – he was definitely American, Ashe thought.

As the burly man reached Itharius and Kibaou, he turned towards the crowd and bowed before turning his attention towards the two.

"My name's Agil. While I don't agree with everything you've said–." He looked straight at Itharius. "–you do have a point." He turned to face Kibaou. "If I have this right, you're claiming that many newbies died because Itharius and his comrades didn't help them, and therefore they should apologize and pay repartitions, is that correct?"

Kibaou's eyes darted between Agil and Itharius. "Tha…that's right! It's only natural for them to take responsibility for what's happened. Otherwise–." He glared straight at Itharius. "–how can we put our lives in their hands? If they hadn't abandoned us…two thousand people wouldn'ave died for nothing!. And that ain't just two thousand random people..." He turned towards the crowd. "…that's the best of the best from other MMOs that we lost–."

Itharius slapped his forehead and turned his gaze towards the floor, trying his best not to crack up. "I'm sorry…it's just…" He covered his mouth, took a deep breath, and straightened back up. "…you really have no idea who we are, do you? Moron."

He turned his attention towards the crowd. "Read. My. Lips." A brief pause. "My comrades and I _are_ the _best_. Anyone who wants to argue that point is more than welcome to put their money where their mouth is. That is…if they're prepared to risk _everything_."

Everyone in the amphitheater fell silent. Even Kibaou was at a loss for words – aside from a few grunts, he said nothing.

"…thought so." Itharius turned his gaze towards Agil. "You were saying?"

Agil sighed. "Honestly…" He looked straight at Kibaou. "While I can't say anything about the items, we certainly aren't lacking in information." He reached for his pouch and drew out a small leather-bound booklet with a whiskered rat icon on the front cover. "You've gotten one of these guidebooks too, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I got one. What of it?" Kibaou also reached for his pouch and brought out another guidebook.

"Every time I reached a new town or village, these would always be available at the general item shop for free. Same for you, right? Didn't it strike you as odd that the information within would be available so quickly?"

"Get to the point already, would'ya."

"The only conclusion is this – the information came from the former beta testers."

The crowd stirred. Kibaou's mouth snapped shut. After a while, Agil turned towards the crowd and resumed speaking. "Listen, the information was out there. And yet, people still died. At this point, the only thing we can be sure of is that it'll take more than information to clear this game. It seems to me that this meeting will determine how we all end up." He looked back at Itharius. "Isn't that right?"

Itharius began to quietly laugh under his breath. "As much as I'd like to claim credit for this, that's not the case. We've had nothing to do with the guidebook." He coughed once. "But he's right," he said in a loud voice, pointing at Agil. "There's more to survival than knowing what's out there. And if all of you aren't willing to accept that, well…it's been nice knowing you.

"One way or the other, the floor boss' going six feet under come tomorrow. If necessary, we'll do it by ourselves." He narrowed his eyes, affixing his gaze on Kibaou's group. "Those of you that can't work with us, leave, now – you're not doing anyone any favors by taking up space. The rest of you – my company commanders will evaluate your competence and make their selections." He paused, taking one more look around the amphitheater. "…best of luck."

For all the commotion that occurred earlier, the crowd's response to Itharius' speech in the aftermath remained civil for the most part. While a few groups departed from the grounds posthaste, most had elected to stay and offer their services. Already, Sif and Tyr were each approaching the largest groups of players present – Tyr in particular was talking to the one called Diabel.

 _Playing with fire, as always…_ Ashe sighed. She would have to give Alex a piece of her mind later. For now, though, she had a task to wrap up. Bringing up her message window, she opened the latest dispatch and began perusing the contents.

It didn't take long for both Havok and Freya to make their way over to her. They took a moment to eyeball the surroundings.

"I expected something along those lines, but still…" Havok shook his head. "At least they can't put together a lynch mob."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Freya said, her right hand brushing against the tip of her sword's hilt. "If there's one constant – people will find a way if they're determined enough." Her eyes shifted towards Ashe's message window. "How many?"

"Two strikers, one finisher." Ashe swiped the window out of view. "About that…"

"Five potentials." Freya brought up her own message window. "From what I can gather, no existing affiliations. Unfortunately, all in possession of only melee skillsets. Candidate three, in particular…"

As Freya went through her list, Ashe found her eyes wandering towards the amphitheater's edge, at the top row of the southwest corner. There, Asuna and Lisbeth were still seated, looking over the crowd with interest. Sitting to the right of them, separated by three meters' worth of empty seating, was another player – a boy, by the looks of it. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary about him – he had equipment on par with the best-equipped players present. A gray, fading light plate breastplate covered his chest, while an Anneal Blade was holstered on his back, its hilt within reach of his right hand. What caught her interest was his demeanor – the slight shaking of his left arm, his furtive glances at crowd, and the overall distance between him and the other players.

 _The poor boy._ Ashe rubbed her right fingers together. _Well, he did give me three picks._

"That boy over there."

"Hmm?" Freya looked up from her windows. "He's not on the list."

"I want him. Make room for it."

Havok sighed. "Another charity case? Knowing you…"

"He interests me." Her eyes wandered towards Itharius. "That's all I'm going to say about…"

The rest of the sentence died in her mouth as she saw a familiar flash of silver-blonde hair. _Her!?_

"C.C., take care of the rest, please."

Without waiting for a response, Ashe bolted off, leaping over bench after bench, even vaulting over a group of three players, until she reached the bottom floor. As soon as her feet touched the dirt-stained stone, she broke into a run, slowing down only a meter away from where Itharius, Loki, and the blonde were talking. In one motion, she snuck up behind Itharius and draped her arms around him, resting her chin on his right shoulder.

"Seems like you're enjoying yourself, Alex," she said, keeping her eyes affixed on the blonde. Her brow twitched.

"Val…" She could feel his shoulders shift. "Didn't you have something else to do?" Turning back towards the blonde, he said, "I'm sorry, where were we?"

"Don't worry about it." A faint smile flashed across the blonde's face. "After all…," she said, shifting her eyes towards Ashe, "we're all pros here. Aren't we?"

 _The nerve of her!_ Despite herself, Ashe forced her face to produce a passable polite smile.

Ashe felt his shoulders shift again. "For now, I'm inclined to think so, Clarisse. Let's get back on point."

Clarisse Farron, alias Seraphina. The last person Ashe expected to see in this game. _Then again…I should've known…_ Rumors of several prominent gamers getting advance copies of SAO outside of Japan had flooded the boards a few days before the official launch. Back then, she'd dismissed them, figuring she could find out for herself once the game went live. But with the chaos after the launch event…well…that task had gone to the wayside.

"Three and a half shares." Seraphina patted the light crossbow slung over her left shoulder. "With the way things are now, you're getting me for cheap. And from what I've seen of your crew…yeah."

Loki _tsked_. "Still a merc even in the end times, I see. Glad to know that you haven't changed." His gaze turned downwards. "…in the right areas, anyways."

Seraphina let out a bemused chuckle. "Care to find out later, Darius?" Turning towards Itharius, she said, "Well, what say you?"

"Clarisse…I'll be the first to admit that you're very talented." He paused, taking a short breath. "But you're not indispensable. Still…" He eyed the group of players that Diabel led. "An insurance policy's never a bad thing. Three shares. That's my final offer."

The seconds passed by as Seraphina contemplated the offer. Her eyes shifted between Itharius and Ashe several times before she blinked twice. "…you always knew how to drive a hard bargain, Alex." She flashed a smile at him. "Alright, you've got yourself a ranger for tomorrow."

Before she realized it, Ashe had tightened her grip on Itharius' shoulders, eliciting a muted grunt from him.

"I'll send you the details later." He turned to face Loki for a second, then turned back. "There's a sendoff at the _Blue Wind_ tonight at seven. Care to drop by?"

"Well…" Her grey eyes locked with Ashe's, and for the briefest of moments, she thought they _smirked_ at her. "We'll see. It'll be nice to be the life of the party again. Besides..." She looked over at Sif, who was about to get into another heated argument with another group of players. "I'm sure it'll be quite the experience." She turned around and pulled over her forest green cloak in one smooth motion. " _Bonne chance, mes amis._ "

As soon as she was sure that Clarisse was out of earshot, Ashe pressed down on Itharius' shoulders. Leaning closer to his right ear, she whispered, "So…are you going to have to spend the night out in the cold, dear?" She squeezed his left shoulder.

Due to her close proximity, she could hear him gulp. "V – Val." She felt his shoulders tense beneath her fingers. "Now there's a perfectly good explanation for all of this."

She leaned in even closer, until her breath caressed his earlobes. "Do tell…"

There was nothing that could compare to making Alex melt before her.

* * *

Death was always at one's doorstep, Itharius heard from his father some time ago. It lay in wait at the edge of consciousness, ever seeking ways to force itself to the forefront. And if it managed to do so, well… _Stuck at the crossroads, no path forward, no way back._

For that reason, with its spectre looming closer than ever, he decided to throw a grand sendoff at the _Blue Wind_ tonight. Better that the thoughts of the expedition be focused on mirth and merrymaking rather than the prospect of doom. Morale, even moreso than skill, would determine the outcome of tomorrow's fight, and Itharius was determined to make sure it stayed at peak.

The café was filled to capacity – every table, stool, and bench was occupied by members of the raid. NPCs bustled back and forth, taking orders and delivering food and drink in tandem. The candles, unlit during the daytime, now provided soft, orange illumination throughout the interior. Outside, gas-lit lamps burnt brightly. The fireplace by the far wall continued to cackle as it burned – an occasional stray ember would float away before dissolving into blue sparks.

As opposed to the usual state of affairs, a cacophony of conversation and shouts filled the premises this evening. Nevertheless, from what he saw, a division existed between the café's patrons. The tables on the edge and the outside were taken up by _Hresvelgr_ , their occupants downing mug after mug of mead and ale. Snippets of conversation that he managed to overhear consisted of reminiscing or plans for tomorrow. "...just like '21…" he heard from the group closest to him.

Of more concern was the mindstate of the rest of the expedition. All in total, fifteen additional players had been recruited to fill the rest of the raid. While most consisted of individuals or pairs, for the sake of expediency, Diabel's party of seven was also brought in. For the most part, they kept to themselves, occupying the three tables closest to the bar, occasionally casting furtive glances at the rest of the patrons. _In retrospect, this afternoon wasn't the wisest of ideas._

Which was one of many reasons why he was now talking to Diabel at the bar. Both he and the self-proclaimed «Knight» were each nursing a mug of rich amber mead.

"Understand this, and understand this well," Itharius said, taking a sip from his mug. "I still have reservations bringing you onboard this operation. The anecdotes concerning you…" He glanced over at Loki. "…aren't exactly flattering, and I'm inclined to believe him in that regard. However–." He raised his left hand, silencing Diabel's response. "I'd like to think of myself as above such things – I'm a professional, first and foremost." He took a moment to scan the immediate surroundings, making sure no one else was within earshot. "And considering your own circumstances," he said in a low voice, "I would rather not have to deal with a repeat of this afternoon."

To his credit, Diabel managed to keep the majority of his reaction hidden beneath a calm face. "I believe I've already apologized for the incident." His left hand twitched slightly. "An old habit of mine – one that I admit should've been better suppressed. I didn't realize–."

"Whose toes you stepped over." His eyes narrowed. "I'm not in the mood – and right now, you're not making this easier for yourself. Did you honestly think a third-rate crew could get the message across as far as it did?

"Let's be clear about one thing – if it came down to it, my guild could easily down the floor boss tomorrow by ourselves, and not even break a sweat doing so. Your presence–." The corners of his mouth rose by a millimeter. "– is nothing more than padding. The fact that you're even being allowed to participate is simply out of consideration of the 'natives'." Itharius tightened his grip around his mug. "It would be advisable to keep that in mind."

"Now see here–."

"Finish that sentence."

Five seconds passed by in silence.

"...thought so." Itharius took another long sip of mead. _I wish it actually had an effect._ "It would do you good to remember who _we_ are, if you're really a gamer worth his salt." He turned to face Diabel directly, locking eyes with him. "You and your men will stick to their assigned tasks at all times. Do I make myself clear?"

For a moment, it looked as if Itharius was going to have to call in damage control. Diabel appeared to be struggling between two courses of action – his hands twitched, and his right eye began to tense. "I…I…" He took a breath. "…I understand."

"Good. It wouldn't do to have the first joint cooperative be tarnished by _incompetence_." His face hardened. "Not when the stakes are this high…" His gaze fell on the counter. "Tomorrow, we'll see if your actions vindicate you. That'll be all."

Diabel lingered for a while, as if he expected a continuation. When it became apparent there were to be no more exchanges, he departed, causing the barstool he was sitting on to rumble slightly in the process. He soon rejoined his party at their table, all the while making sure not to come into eye contact with Itharius.

 _What to do, what to do…_ Itharius took another sip. The words Loki had spoken to him earlier now came back to the forefront. "He'll be sure to exploit the first opening he gets, no question about it." _Then again, who wouldn't in this situation._ If the situation were reversed, would he too be looking for every chance he could to get ahead of the competition?

Before he could brood on the subject any further, the seat next to him was occupied. "That went rather well, considering."

Itharius sighed. "I'm not surprised. He's a _survivor_ , after all. Any sane person would do the same thing. Still…" He turned to face Loki. "…Case Orange?"

Loki kept facing the cabinet on the other side of the bar, motioning the bartender over. "Most likely. I've gone over the details with Gyges. We'll be ready should the worst come."

"Let's hope not. Enough people have died as is."

He decided to take another look around the café. It didn't take long for his eyes to find their way towards a particular table where most of Hresvelgr's female players were seated at. Ashe, Freya, Sif, and Karen were laughing as they each nursed their respective drinks – everyone save for Sif had ordered spirits rather than tap.

It was at that moment that his eyes locked onto Sif's. An impish smile formed on her face. Without breaking her gaze, she nudged Ashe's side and mouthed a few words, giggling afterwards. Barely a second later, Ashe looked at him and blushed.

"Women and their gossip," Loki said from behind him. "I bet you I know exactly what they were talking about, hehe."

"The last thing I need now is brain bleach, Darius. I've got enough to worry about. Still…" He looked straight at Ashe – her face had returned to normal, and she managed to give him a small smile. "…I wouldn't mind so much. Reminds me of the real. Speaking of which…"

At that moment, Seraphina arrived at the café and waved at the rest of the guild. All the guys cheered and raised their mugs – some even went as far as whistling. She calmly made her way past the tables until she reached Ashe's and sat down at one of the empty seats, bringing out a hip flask as she did so. The other girls greeted her, save for Ashe, whose eyes began to narrow.

"I wouldn't want to be in your shoes right now, Alex, not even for the benefits." Loki let out a short laugh. "Wish you were still single?"

"Not for the world." He took a long sip of the mead. "So, you and Clarisse."

"We'll see. I have a feeling I'm going to get lucky tonight, one way or the other." He began eying Sif's figure. "Don't let her keep you up all night. We've got a big day tomorrow."

"Ha ha…" He nudged Loki with his right shoulder. "At least I'm guaranteed _something_."

 _Might as well let myself go_. He picked up his mug, got off the barstool, and began to make his way over to Ashe's side. It was about time he stopped worrying and enjoyed the moment for the first time in a while.

* * *

 _December 2, 2022_

Even though she had always risen at the crack of dawn, both in the real world and this virtual one, for some reason Asuna felt more exhausted than ever on this day. Not even Freya's coffee could wash away her fatigue – instead, her tongue didn't register anything aside from its bitter flavor for the better part of an hour. The march towards Tolbana's central plaza didn't have an effect either – the slightly cool and gentle breeze nearly lulled her into sleep on several occasions.

All forty eight members of the raid had assembled without incident at seven forty-five, at which point they began marching in tandem towards the labyrinth entrance. Itharius' party, Group 1, occupied the center of the formation, flanked by four other guild parties which covered the left, right, and two forward positions. A length's distance separated her party, Group 6, from the formation – they were following in the wake along with the two extra parties. Diabel's party was to her immediate rear, itself followed by the final addition – a full party led by the tall, burly axeman who brought yesterday's gathering back on track – Agil, she recalled the name.

 _This seems familiar…_ Asuna rubbed the fingers on her right hand together. She mulled over the thought for several minutes before finally realizing what the memory was.

Her school field trip to Queensland this past January. Her classmates had been thrown off by the shift in seasons – the midwinter weather of Tokyo was a stark contrast to the warm, breezy climate of the Gold Coast. Regardless, they were excited no matter where they went on the trip.

There was nothing similar about that excursion and the one she was currently on. Yet for some reason, the atmosphere emanating from the other players felt almost the same as that of her class trip. The endless chattering, the occasional bursts of laughter, all of them almost matched up point for point to the hike they took through a forest preserve, the only difference being the presence of mobs that could burst through the thickets lining the path at any moment. Not that they would have much of an impact – Asuna was certain they'd be mowed down by her fellow party members the moment they appeared.

Her party for today, including herself, consisted of Havok, Athena, Lisbeth, the strange boy she saw sitting at the edge of the amphitheater yesterday – Kirito, the nameplate above his party health bar read – and another woman unaffiliated with their guild – her nameplate identified her as 'Seraphina'. Lisbeth and Athena were chatting amongst themselves, giggling on occasion – Asuna was walking right next to them, close enough to hear occasional snippets of their exchanges. Seraphina and Havok both took the lead, keeping their eyes on the surroundings. As for Kirito, he lingered at the rear, his eyes darting across the others and back without pause – just what was he looking for, Asuna thought.

"…understood. Case Orange acknowledged," Havok said quietly into his earpiece.

Asuna shuffled forward a few steps, moving closer towards the front.

Seraphina plucked the drawstring on her crossbow, checking its tension – the cord hummed as it vibrated from the applied force. "He really hasn't changed at all, has he? Even under our present circumstances."

Havok made a _tsk_ sound. "You're rather cavalier about all of this. Not even worried just a little bit, Farron?"

"Should I be?" Playful laughter escaped from her lips.

"None of us have forgotten, even if they don't talk about it much these days. What you did…the Crimson Summer…I'll never forgive you for it. Why _he_ still considers giving you a second chance is beyond me." Havok sighed. "Then again…"

Seraphina cast a sideward glance at him. "Jealous much, old man? _She's_ not here with you, y'know. Why, if you ask me _nicely_ , I might even be tempted to–."

"Finish that sentence, and you won't like the end result, _his_ will or not." He reached for his belt and brought a hip flask to his lips, taking a long sip. "On second thought, scratch that – if I even get the slightest hint that you're trying something, well…" His eyes gleamed. "…I'll leave that to your imagination."

"Eric, Eric…"

Without warning, Seraphina brought her crossbow to level, pointed it towards her left with her left arm, and pulled the trigger. Half a second later, the familiar sound of shattering polygons came from the thicket to her left, followed by the kill window. All the while, her line of sight never shifted from the front.

 _Scary_. Asuna suppressed a gulp.

"You're going to have to do _much_ better than that. The things I've seen…these days, nothing fazes me anymore. If you're going to go through all that trouble, well…it might work better on them." She pointed her right thumb back towards Asuna and the rest of the party.

"Girl, I've seen _plenty_. As far I'm concerned, you're still wet behind the ears – a greenhorn, no matter how you try to dress it up. Come back and compare notes when you've actually seen someone's last moments for real."

The air around Seraphina suddenly heated up by a couple of degrees – Asuna could feel the hairs on the back of her palms begin to rise. "Ohohoho." Her eyes locked onto Havok's. "Maybe I will."

Their arguing escalated to the point where Asuna could barely make out what they were saying, the translator unable to keep up the pace. Occasionally, the translations would get through – Asuna nearly keeled over at several moments. "Useless windbag," "Harlot," "Dead-eyed," – she didn't quite understand the meaning behind the words, but had a feeling none of it meant well for either side.

At this point, Athena backed away from the bickering pair, motioning the others to follow her. Once they were far enough away – about four steps behind – she sighed, and said, "Those two – I should've known better. Don't think too badly of them – it's just…there's just a lot of baggage to work through."

A faint smile formed on Lisbeth's face. "Don't worry about it. I was with Loki for three whole days. It grows on you, in a manner of speaking."

"I'd figure." Athena palmed her forehead. "Just between us girls, the whole guild's crazy, in one manner or another. I, for one, am glad we didn't end up getting assigned to Gyges. Those knife nuts…urgh."

 _I'll have to bring that up some other time._ She cleared her throat and said, "Are we going to be alright? Those two…well…"

Athena laughed softly. "They may not look like it, but they are…were…amongst the very best players in our old game. When the chips fall down, they'll get the job done, hands down. If anything, I'd be more worried about our sanity at the end of the raid – once those two get started, it can go on for ages.

"Anyways–." Athena's demeanor turned serious. "Y'all remember what we're supposed to be doing, right?" She whistled at Kirito. "That means you too, kid. Pick up the pace."

"It's just add control duty, isn't it?" the boy in question said with resignation. "Don't see why we need to bring it up again."

"Those 'adds' may mean the difference between a clean down and a frenzy." She shot a glare his way. "Kids these days…" Her eyes shifted over to Asuna and Lisbeth. "No offense."

"…"

"Melee'll be responsible for breaking guard, and us ranged–." She pointed at her longbow over her shoulder. "–will finish them off. Rinse and repeat, and we'll breaking out the Bollingers by noon. Easy peasy. Any questions?"

It was the shorthand version of what Asuna and the others had already gone over the previous night. Having had the whole night to mull it over, she didn't really have anything else to add.

"Oh, and one more thing." Athena rubbed the rims of her spectacles. "This is all going into the archives, so do your best to stay photogenic. It wouldn't do for all of you to not appear your best once all of this goes live."

And just like that, all her fatigue and the tension within her melted away. For the briefest of moments, she was back on that school trip, laughing away with her friends and enjoying the scenery. _Not so different, after all_. She smiled – a faint laugh escaped on her breath.

"Heads up, we're here." Athena reached for her longbow and primed it.

Ahead, the forest parted away to reveal the entrance to the tower labyrinth, the entrance archway looming over the path. The raid's vanguard collapsed into single file, the path no longer wide enough to accommodate the previous formation. Before long, they entered, each group disappearing past the veil of shadow.

And soon, their turn came. The transition was just as abrupt as it was eventless. The wind, which up until now gently caressed their avatars, ceased to exist the moment they stepped across the threshold. Sunlight was replaced by the soft, orange familiar glow of torchlight. And up ahead of them were the vanguard, marching in tandem without pause.

 _The other side…huh…_ She brushed her hand across her «Wind Fleuret»'s pommel.

* * *

It had taken them forty minutes to traverse the labyrinth. _Not bad, but still a bit too slow for my tastes._ All of the spawns were quickly dispatched by the vanguard – each lasted for no longer than two seconds at most. _At least they have their forms down – now to see if the real thing works._

The entire raid was assembled before the entrance to Illfang's chambers, a large, imposing stonewrought double door that measured well over twelve feet in height. Carvings of armored knights and longswords adorned the grey doors, all surrounding a relief of the boss in question. «Illfang the Kobold Lord» was baring his teeth, his eyes almost gleaming under the torchlight. _Gotta give the art team due credit._

Itharius took a deep breath. _Moment of truth._ Speaking into his headset, he said in a crisp, clear tone, "All prime callsigns, this is Proteus Actual. Sound off."

Half a second passed. "Proteus 1 actual, copy," Ashe said from beside him. She glanced at him for a brief moment before shifting her eyes back forward.

"Proteus 2 actual, at the ready," Tyr said, steel in his voice.

"Proteus 3 actual, all green," Sif said. He could see her adjust her grip on her double-bladed axe.

"Proteus 4 actual, ready," Tyrael, Group 4's commanding officer, said.

"Proteus 5 actual, sounding off," Loki said in monotone. _Somehow, always…_ Itharius suppressed a chortle.

"Proteus 6 actual, acknowledged," Havok said.

Three seconds passed by in silence. Just as Itharius was about to speak up, the next receipt came through. "7, all clear," Diabel said, his voice calm.

 _At least he isn't responsible for anything too important today._ Itharius snapped his right fingers. One more to go.

"Team 8, all players ready," Agil said.

"All global communications are restricted to prime actuals henceforth." Itharius stepped forward towards the door. He turned around to face the raid in a single step. As he closed his eyes for a second, he could hear the faintest whispers of beating wings coming from above him. _Here goes._ He opened his eyes, cleared his throat, and looked straight at everyone.

"Brothers and sisters," he began, his voice amplified by the headset resting on his left ear. "All men are fated to die. Whether through sickness, age, or ruin, all of us each owe a death. And there may come a day when we fall. But…

"Today is not THAT DAY!" He brought his right foot forward. "We've trained our minds and bodies to their limits and beyond. And today, we shall emerge victorious. The Valkyries watch over us, as they have for countless warriors on countless battlefields prior. By their grace, we shall succeed."

He drew his sword and pointed it at the door behind him, keeping his gaze fixed forward. "Glory awaits on the other side. Seize it! Be immortalized through valorous conduct!" He then raised his sword straight up in the air. "For the glory of Hresvelgr!"

A resounding roar came from parts of the crowd that were comprised of his guild members. "HAIL HRESVELGR! HAIL ITHARIUS!" All of them saluted him.

As for the remaining two parties, some of them cheered along with the others, while the rest watched in silence. Diabel, in particular, simply stood straight, his eyes affixed on Itharius.

Bringing his sword back down, Itharius turned to face the door once again. He reached out with his right hand, brought it to rest on the right door pane, and _pushed_. A rush of air swept past him as both doors swung open inwards. The moment the door slammed against their hinges, the entire raid rushed straight into the chamber.

 _Typical setup_. The hallway must've been at least eighty feet in length and forty feet across. Braziers adorned the walls to his immediate left and right, lighting up in sequence with a bright orange flame. A massive ironwrought throne sat on an elevated platform on the other side of the room, shrouded by the last vestiges of darkness.

As Itharius' group, the vanguard Group 1, reached the center of the room, the last pair of braziers lit up, bringing the far side of the room into full view. Seated on the throne was a burly, gargantuan kobold covered in dark, matted grey fur. Its eyes came to life, giving off a reddish-gold hue. The nameplate «Illfang the Kobold Lord» hung over its head.

The massive kobold roared with such ferocity that it drowned out all other noise in the room. It rose up from its throne and leapt straight for the room's center, covering the distance in one bound. On its right hand was a crude axe fashioned from the bones of what Itharius assumed to be a large elephant, while a faded bronze buckler was affixed to its left forearm. Hanging from the back of its waist was a cloth holster housing a thin, curved longsword about five feet in length – he couldn't make out its exact shape from where he stood.

The kobold roared once again as its four health bars filled up to capacity. Focusing his eyes on the kobold's head, Itharius saw the exact figures of the boss' health.

 **180000/180000**

 _Tedious, but cakewalk._ Itharius readied his weapon. "All bulwarks, engage at will." He strafed to the right, allowing Freya to charge straight forward from behind his position. "Callsigns 1 through 5, panopticon."

As he approached Illfang's left flank along with the rest of Group 1, the two main tanks, Tyr and Freya, entered the kobold's striking range, shields and weapons drawn and readied. Groups 2 through 5 took positions in a semicircle behind Illfang, with Group 2 occupying the right flank and the rest covering the rear. The two other tanks, attached to Groups 3 and 4, also readied their shields – they were the backups should the primaries go under.

Illfang raised his axe and swung it downwards straight at Tyr, only to be blocked by Tyr's «Argent Bulwark» a quest drop tower shield which gleamed in the light. Itharius took the briefest of moments to examine Tyr's health bar and, to his satisfaction, saw that Tyr's health remained at its maximum value. _As expected – he's mastered the perfect guard._ Tyr immediately initiated a mace skill – his weapon glowed green as it swung towards Illfang's torso, crashing into it with a resounding _THUD_. A debuff appeared above Illfang's health bar – the icon for the defense debuff «Sunder Armor».

The instant Tyr's skill connected, Freya initiated her own 'threat sequence' as well. She started with a «Taunt», a move designed to capture the attention of a targeted AI mob – she pointed her sword straight at Illfang and let loose a loud roar. At once, the kobold shifted its attention towards her, letting loose another axe swing, this time from its right. And once again, the blow was blocked to perfection by her tower shield, an exact replica of Tyr's. Taking advantage of the momentary opening, Freya performed a horizontal slash from the right, cutting straight through Illfang's torso from the side. She immediately segued into another upward diagonal slash, finishing off with a downward vertical slash before pulling her sword out back to resting position. The path of her cuts glowed bright blue, forming a figure 4 for a second and a half before fading away, leaving behind bright, raw, red gashes on the kobold. _«Savage Fulcrum»_ _lives up to its moniker_.

Fifteen seconds passed by as Tyr and Freya continued to trade off each other, each one taunting as soon as the other finished their respective weapon skill. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the words Itharius wanted to hear came through the earpiece.

"12 to actual, condition: green," Freya said.

"2 to actual, condition: green."

 _Showtime._ "All callsigns 1 through 5, engage at will." He readied his sword. "Happy hunting."

All at once, a multitude of glowing lights erupted in a semicircle behind Illfang as every damage dealer initiated their respective weapon skills. A piercing lance, a heavy arcing smash, a smooth blade swing, a charged arrow, all of them struck true, eliciting grunts and howls from the target. Illfang's health began depleting at a rapid pace – the top health bar steadily emptied towards the left.

As the delay for his third sword skill came to an end, Itharius thought about his next course of action. _About time I gave that one a go_. He leveled his sword, making sure it was pointed straight towards his left at waist level, and charged, initiating one of the most powerful sword skills in his repertoire. The first strike connected, repositioning him at Illfang's 180° marker. He segued into a clockwise spin, striking Illfang's torso – the force of the blow propelled him forward towards Illfang's right flank. Another clockwise spinning strike followed, a single horizontal slash cut at the torso once again. Finally, he charged back towards his starting position, cutting through the torso at twice the speed of the skill's system assisted speed. The moment his sword exited the kobold, four afterimages, each in the shape of a line, connected to each other at the edges, expanded outward in the shape of a square and exploded, causing Illfang to howl out in pain.

«Horizontal Square», the one-handed sword skill learned at one hundred and fifty points of mastery, depleted 1/16th of Illfang's top health bar. _Not bad for an intermediate skill_ , Itharius thought as the delay came to an end.

Another thunderous roar escaped Illfang's jaw as the last vestiges of its first health bar vanished. _So much for this being a challenge._

* * *

 _This is getting tiresome_ , Asuna thought as another Ruin Kobold Sentinel fell to her rapier.

The instant «Illfang the Kobold Lord» became vulnerable to player attacks, three «Ruin Kobold Sentinels» spawned from the alcoves lining the hallway and charged towards the center. Each of the kobolds wielded a massive halberd, its edge gleaming under the torchlight. They were also clad from head to toe in solid plate armor – the only points of vulnerability appeared to be the slits in their helms' visors and miniscule gaps between certain portions of their armor.

The groups assigned to crowd control, Groups 6 through 8, had intercepted each kobold without fanfare. Her party, Group 6, had Lisbeth charge in with her mace, drawing its attention with «Sunder Armor». The moment the skill connected, Lisbeth immediately switched with Kirito, who used a «Vertical» to knock the sentinel's halberd out of reach. Finally, Asuna, Athena, Havok, and Seraphina unleashed their own attacks, dispatching the vulnerable kobold.

All in all, the whole process took just about seven seconds from start to finish.

Twenty seconds after the initial spawn, another group of Kobold Sentinels appeared from the alcoves, and the whole routine was repeated. This event happened without fail every twenty seconds, on the mark. It got to the point where Athena, Havok, and Seraphina had enough time to take potshots at the remaining kobolds, which were taking longer to die under the task of the other groups.

Another crossbow bolt shot through the air and impaled itself into Group 7's kobold's head, right between the eyes, causing it to shatter into countless blue polygons. "That makes six thousand now, Eric," Seraphina said as she began reloading her light crossbow. " _Et tu_?"

"Sixty-one hundred." Havok finished off their kobold with two arrows through the gap in the helm-chestplate armor joint. "Starting to regret your choice in armament?"

"I should be the one telling you that." She adjusted the tension of her crossbow's drawstring. "This baby here packs more punch than any bow out there."

"While I can fire more than one projectile at a time." Havok reached for the arrows in his quiver. "Speedwise, nothing beats my current setup."

Seraphina let loose a short burst of laughter. "So you say, so you say. There's still time before this wraps up. Want to pull out of our little side bet?"

"Heh. Not a chance. By the end of the day, you'll be the _talk_ among everyone present." A smirk formed on his face. "The great Clarisse Farron eating humble pie after the first raid – now that's something I'd sell my arm and leg to see."

"…as if." She fired her crossbow again, hitting Group 8's kobold twenty meters distant. "Sixty-six hundred, darling."

The next set of kobolds spawned, and everyone went back to alert.

Lisbeth intercepted the sentinel once again, this time opting out of using a mace skill. "Is it supposed to be this hectic?" she asked, dodging the halberd's overhead strike.

"Can't say. Wasn't here for the beta version." Athena shot two arrows through the kobold's helm visor. "Regardless, it doesn't look like it'll be for much longer." She pointed at Illfang.

Asuna turned her sights towards the target in question. Illfang had already lost two full health bars just one and a half minutes into the fight – the current health bar was half emptied, and disappearing noticeably by the second.

 _Looks like they weren't kidding, after all_. When Asuna heard Ashe mention offhand that they could kill the floor boss by themselves three days ago, she couldn't wrap her mind around the idea, even after sparring against the swordswoman countless times. The fight, after all, was designed to be challenged by forty-eight players – how could a group of thirty three make up for the shortfall of fifteen.

Looking at the numbers on display now – her HUD showed Illfang's HPs decreasing by the hundreds every second without pause – that statement no longer felt out of the ordinary – rather, she wondered whether or not she was the only one that didn't see the writing on the wall. _Perhaps…_ She entertained the thought. Clearing all one hundred floors of this – not-prison – she blamed Athena for her choice of words – didn't seem like a pipe dream anymore.

"Look out!" Kirito shouted.

One of the other groups' kobold that Seraphina shot at had switched aggro, and was now about to cleave Asuna in half. Before the halberd struck her, however, Kirito managed to deflect the strike with a well-timed «Uppercut», knocking the halberd and the kobold holding onto it into the air.

Even though her mind was screaming that it defied all logic, for Asuna, the kobold appeared to be floating still in the air. Paying closer attention, she noticed that she couldn't hear anything else but the steady beating of her pulse – slowed down by several degrees, it seemed. _Adrenaline rush?_ No matter the cause, she intended to take full advantage of it.

Pulling back her rapier, she twisted the hilt 15° counterclockwise, waited for the familiar twinge in the pommel, and _thrust_ straight forward. Four rapid thrusts, each enveloped by the bright green glow of a rapier skill, penetrated the kobold's armor at both shoulder gaps, the neck-chestplate gap, and the chestplate-legplate gap. The kobold didn't even have a chance to react as it broke apart into blue polygons, the total damage output of «Quadruple Pain» far exceeding its remaining health.

"Good job," Kirito said to her, his voice a whisper.

She took a deep breath. "…thanks."

A fierce howl, the loudest one yet, rang through the entire hall. Asuna turned to face Illfang once again. The towering kobold stood straight up and roared with such ferocity that the air around her _shook_. It hurled its axe straight at Tyr – he chose to dodge rather than block it head-on, a sound decision in retrospect as the axe flew by him at breakneck speed, carving a deep, angry gouge in the ground for several meters before it came to a rest just shy of Group 6. Next, it yanked its bronze buckler off its left forearm, roaring once again before slamming the shield straight down at Freya – she barely managed to dodge the impact radius. A light shower of grey granite chunks erupted, slamming into both tanks' shields at speeds enough to be audible from where Asuna was.

Kirito stared at the sight. "Huh, that's new." His eyes moved over to Asuna, widening the moment they made contact. He quickly covered his mouth and looked away.

 _I'll have to bring that up later_. She took the opportunity to look over the other add groups. Group 8 alternated between hunching over in exhaustion and drinking potions – Agil, the group commander, readied his axe. As for Group 7, she began a headcount. _One, two, three, four, five…five?_

She blinked. Group 7 still had only five members. None of whom have the distinct blue hairstyle she committed to memory yesterday.

* * *

Rivulets of sweat trickled down Ashe's sword hand.

 _Don't you dare break on me_. The massive, jet black curved sword – or rather, nodachi – she had the opportunity to see one up close just two months ago – _consumed_ all the light in the vicinity, at least from her viewpoint. Now that she got a good look at it out of its holster, where it had resided up until three seconds prior, it definitely complimented the massive kobold. Stray nicks and tiny gouges along the length of the blade only served to add to its ferocity. _Lord knows how many battles it's seen_. Even though the logic of that thought fell flat, Ashe couldn't help but entertain more thoughts along those lines, some _far_ too _vivid_ for her comfort.

She couldn't break. Not with thirty-four other souls counting on her. She won't break. She won't allow herself to break.

Instead, Ashe stared Illfang down from where she stood, locking onto its crimson eyes with a fierce, unyielding gaze. She tightened her grip on her longsword, readying it in front of her for another strike – her sweat soaked the pommel. _Just try me. I dare you._

A figure running past her shook her out of her thoughts. She blinked, her grip on her sword loosened by just a tiny fraction. _What the hell is he doing!?_ She wasn't imagining it. Diabel was standing in front of her, an inch's breadth of space separating him from Illfang's left torso. Not where he was supposed to be, with the rest of Group 7. Right in front of her, in the melee strike zone.

 _That damned fool_. Ashe began to step forward, only to feel a tight grip around her left upper arm.

She looked over her left shoulder, and paused. Itharius had grabbed onto her left upper arm with his right hand, squeezing on her with such force that the links on her armor began to move.

Ashe pulled her left arm. "What are you–."

His eyes locked onto her. And for a brief moment, time stood still. A puff of air escaped her lips, taking with them the rest of her words.

She turned back to look at Illfang. Look at the glowing red nodachi leveled at the kobold's right waist. Her eyes shifted up towards the kobold's head, and for a sliver of a second, she saw a sinister smile plastered across its fanged jaw.

So engrossed was Ashe with the sight that she didn't even register being pulled back by her paramour. By the time she came to, the flash of red had already come and gone. She blinked once again, and nearly slipped on her footing.

Each of the tanks' shields sported an ugly horizontal gash where the nodachi struck – the gleaming outer layer had been scraped off completely by the force of the strike. Bits of white sparkles continued to evaporate from the impact points, vanishing into thin air. And directly ahead of her, where she was standing only seconds ago, was Diabel's prone form, his health bar depleted by one-third. A debuff icon – the tumble status effect – hung over his health bar. As for the man himself, he stirred, grunting as he tried to pick himself back up.

But Illfang wasn't done yet. Turning to face the only prone player, Illfang crouched, roared, and held its sword pointed backwards, readying it for an uppercut. Once again, the nodachi glowed a sinister shade of red, flashed once, and swung forward, all in the breadth of a second, launching Diabel straight into the air. It then leapt straight up, the nodachi held high over its head. Another grin formed on Illfang's face as the blade glowed red again – it swung straight down overhead through Diabel's avatar, twisted 180°, swung straight back up through the previous bisection, and finally thrust straight through the torso, sending bright red sparks flying outwards from the wound.

The moment Illfang crashed back onto the ground, the whole floor shuddered from the impact – the flagstones rumbled for several seconds before settling down. Diabel's avatar lingered, still impaled on the nodachi, tiny fragments of pseudo-blood dripping down towards the blade's tip. Without warning, his body began to fragment, blue lines spreading across the form, before finally erupting in a flash of bright blue right as it broke into countless polygons.

 _This isn't happening…_ She repeated that line over and over in her head. Only to stop when her eyes fell on the nodachi, the blade still sporting traces of dark, viscous red liquid. Diabel was dead, never to return back to the real. _Just what must his body be going through now?_ Images of a body drenched in liquefied brain matter rushed to the forefront of her consciousness. That body, so similar to hers, yet–.

Illfang's nodachi glowed red once again.

Another circular cut surrounded the kobold once again, this time extending a little further outwards – Ashe could feel the air in front of her just a few scant centimeters part violently. Sparks flew across all four tanks' shields once again from her left to right – the gashes on their shields deepened.

She gulped. There was no way they could afford to get close while that attack continued. To her right, the three players with bows continued to fire charged shots – bow skills, she concluded – at the kobold's rear. Each shot shaved off a line of Illfang's last health bar – a miniscule amount, but an amount regardless.

She glanced over her shoulder at Itharius. If he was affected by any of the previous events, it didn't show on him at all – his eyes remained focused straight ahead. And his next order was given in a calm, crisp, voice.

"Callsigns 1 through 5, Scylla."

Ashe strafed to her right along with the rest of Group 1 until they merged with Groups 3, 4, and 5. On the other flank, Group 2 also collapsed towards the rear, forming a singular huddle of players in a cone behind Illfang's massive form. Both the left and right flanks were left exposed, with no players present in a 90° cone on either side.

Once the shift completed, Illfang roared and turned to face Tyr, holding its nodachi high above its head. The blade glowed red and immediately swung downwards, colliding with Tyr's shield in a shower of sparks. She eyeballed his health bar, and saw it drop by a sliver. _It broke through – just how much damage would it have done unmitigated?_ The blade glowed red again as it slashed diagonally upwards against the shield again, accompanied by another shower of sparks and stray chunks of granite scraped off the floor.

Another three seconds passed by before the first message came over the raid's command channel. "2 to actual, condition: green. 70 click window."

"Actual to 2 – acknowledged. Stonewall." Itharius drew his blade back, tightening his grip. She could hear his breath come out in steady gasps from where she stood right next to him. "All units," he said, his voice cold, sharp steel, "Armageddon."

All around her, every player reached for their waist pouches and brought out a small bottle containing a dark brown liquid. Ashe also brought out her own, the only available haste potion on the first floor. As soon as she uncorked the bottle, a thick, pungent aroma assault her nose – she nearly retched from the stench. _This better be worth it._ She brought the tip of the bottle to her lips and poured down the contents straight into her throat. The flavor reminded her of castor oil and chili peppers – it burned her tongue and throat as it flowed down – she had to fight the urge to retch with every fiber of her being.

As soon as the potion hit her stomach, Ashe felt the effects taking hold on the rest of her body. All her muscles lost the tension that had been accumulating up until now – she could feel the burning ebb away. Her breathing steadied, no longer coming in rapid gasps. She eyed her HUD, the section highlighting her health bar, and saw two new icons appear. The first, a bronze pocketwatch, had the tooltip 'Lesser Haste' with a duration of 1 minute. The second, a debuff, had a potion icon, and a timer of 2 minutes.

 _Time to finish this!_ She charged straight ahead, along with everyone else, and swung at Illfang with all her might, activating the skill «Overhead». Her longsword cut a deep, red gash straight down Illfang's back, shaving off another sliver of the kobold's health. The aftereffects of the others' sword skills erupted around her as she waited out the delay.

 _Faster!_ She eyed Tyr's health bar, and saw that it was just about to pass the halfway point into the yellow zone. Illfang must be gaining weapon damage with every passing second, she quickly concluded. She looked at Itharius and saw him performing the motions for «Savage Fulcrum». Illfang's health bar continued to deplete, entering the red zone.

 _Time to see if my theory works._ Ashe tightened her grip on her longsword, stepped forward, and twisted the pommel 30° to the right. A bright blue glow enveloped her sword as she leapt straight up, carving a diagonal slash through Illfang's back. At once, her blade twisted to horizontal, and she _pushed_ with all her might, cutting another deep horizontal gash. She then pulled the blade out, moved it to the first strike's starting point, and swung again, performing another horizontal cut. Finally, her blade twisted counterclockwise by sixty degrees and cut diagonally upwards, connecting with the previous slash. As she pulled the blade back out and landed on the floor, four blue aftereffects, forming a thin, blue rhombus, expanded and vanished, signifying the successful completion of «Vertical Square».

With Ashe's last attack, Illfang shuddered, stopping its latest nodachi swing just shy of the top of Tyr's tower shield. It flashed once, twice, and thrice, before bright blue lines began spreading across it in chaotic webs. The lines brightened, flashed, and then brightened further until it blinded her for a split second. When she regained her sight, she saw a rain of polygons, all which remained of «Illfang the Kobold Lord», fall slowly to the ground and vanishing as if they were snowflakes.

A large banner bearing the message **Congratulations!** in bright, white letters unfurled at the spot where Illfang fell, accompanied by the victory BGM – bugles and trumpets. Cheers resounded throughout the hall. The players who hadn't collapsed to the floor from exhaustion were busy congratulating each other – hugs were abound in plentiful supply.

Ashe's menu blinked – a new icon appeared beneath her system settings. She tapped on it, causing a message window to appear before her.

[Congratulations, you've received the Last Attack Bonus]

Item: «Straightened Carbon Steel Nodachi»

* * *

For some reason, despite all of the cheering happening all around him, Itharius didn't feel like joining in the celebrations. True, they had downed Illfang in less than five minutes. _A minute too long – should've figured out that AoE sooner._ Yet for some reason, he didn't feel satisfied with the results at all. Decent down time, zero body count – well, zero body count where it _mattered_. _That poor fool…_ At least his corpse had already vanished. He wouldn't have to put up with the distaste of having to look at it, much less deal with it.

He took a moment to inspect the condition of the tanks. All of their shields, especially Tyr's, suffered significant damage. The gashes across their face – slightly wider than the nodachi's thickness – didn't appear to cut too deep into the shield itself, but he couldn't be too sure without further appraisal. Tyr's shield, in particular, had so many gashes running across its length and breadth that he wondered if it would be able to be repaired in decent time. _Time to see if that girl can earn her keep._ He eyed Lisbeth, moving towards the rest of the raid with her party.

He felt a firm pat on his back. "Good job, boss man. I was starting to think you've lost your marbles."

"Heh. Not even close." He looked over his right shoulder, meeting Loki's eyes. "Still, what a letdown – the berserk phase at the end was interesting, if only for the first ten seconds. They really need to bring out the big guns if we're going to actually have a challenge anytime soon."

Loki snorted. "There's a saying for this exact circumstance."

"Yeah yeah… Since when were you that type." He turned around, allowing himself a better view of the raid. "If anything, I wouldn't mind it going up a notch or two. Might actually be able to gain something _significant_."

"If only this wasn't a death game… Looks like we'll be having another bash tonight. Hope the 2nd floor has a wicked bartender – last night was lame."

A short laugh escaped his lips. "It's not even ten yet. I'd worry about that later. Now…–."

He could hear sobbing coming from the edge of the raid. Barely noticeable at first, it soon rose in intensity to the point where everyone in the hall fell silent. Itharius turned to face the source, one of Diabel's companions. A scimitar hung from the right of his waist. He didn't recognize him – his eyes moved to the top-right corner of his HUD – the raid control window. Expanding the group layouts with a thought, he focused on Group 7, the only one missing a member. The nameplate of the player appeared below his green cursor – Lind.

"Why!?"

The shriek resounded through the whole hall with the same intensity as all the previous cheering.

"Why did you abandon Diabel to die!?" Lind pointed straight at him.

Behind Lind, the four remaining members of Group 7 stood, their faces red and miserable. Some were crying, while the rest were on the verge of tears.

A second passed in silence. Then another. And another. And another after that.

"He he…he he…"

It started as the faintest of whispers, one that he could only hear. One second. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Sixteen seconds…the laughter continued unabated. With each passing interval, it grew louder and louder, until the whole hall was enveloped in his cackling. "Ha ha ha!" Everyone in the room stared at him, their eyes wide – even Ashe reacted, backing away slowly until she collided with Sif.

Forty five seconds elapsed before Itharius stopped laughing abruptly. His face hardened, and his eyes focused harder on Lind and his remaining party members. _Ingrates._ He could feel his fingers twitch.

"Alex…," Loki whispered. His right hand gently grabbed Itharius' left shoulder.

He tore out of the grip, feeling the scratch of a fingernail on the edge of his shoulder. He curled up the corners of his lips just a smidgen, enough to form a faint, sinister smile.

"It's times like these that I am reminded of one of my favorite parables. _Daedalus and Icarus_."

Slowly, he took three steps towards Lind's group.

"Icarus, the vainglorious fool, disregarded Daedalus' warnings and flew too high. And because of his ego, he lost his wings and crashed down into the Aegean, body battered and broken."

He took another three steps forward, putting more pressure on each step.

"Even though your homeland is so far away from the _cradle_ of Western civilization, I'm sure all of you have heard of this tale before, yes?"

He stepped forward once again, until half a meter of space separated him from Lind.

"Just like Icarus, your friend, your dear leader…" The corners of his eyes rose. "His ambition and greed far exceeded his grasp, and he paid for it," he said, steel tinging his voice. "He should've just stayed back in town along with the rest of the rejects – at least he would've still been around to see the next hour."

His eyes narrowed, and his smile tightened. He could see Lind beginning to sweat profusely. Lind's own eyes also began to narrow.

Itharius twisted around, walked back seven paces, and turned back to face Lind and his group. Clearing his throat, he said loud enough for everyone in the raid to hear, "In short, he was a _fool_ who got what he _deserved_. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Alex!" Ashe gasped, clutching her hands. Her eyes widened even further than before.

Murmuring amongst the rest of his guild soon drowned out all other noise. One by one, the sobbing from the other members of Lind's group ceased, replaced by slowly rising anger. Even Loki edged away from his previous roost – he rejoined the rest of Gyges, all the while keeping his gaze locked on Group 7.

Lind grabbed onto his right hand to stop its shaking. "Just who…," he said, his voice breaking. "Just who are you to say all of that!?"

Itharius could feel his face heat up. "Who am I…?" His eyes began to smolder. "I am the only _authority_ that _matters_. My word is the difference between life and death. My burden would _crush_ you in less than a heartbeat. You…" He lowered his voice. "You're not even worth this. I'm done."

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for two seconds, and then turned to face Agil. "Mr. Agil."

The person in question looked straight at him. Itharius couldn't tell what he was thinking – his expression remained pensive as ever.

"Congratulations on a job well done. I look forward to our future endeavors." He paused for a second. "If you're willing."

He shifted his attention back to Lind and his group.

Time seemed to slow down as Lind's fingers brushed across the hilt of his scimitar. His pupils dilated. The sweat on his face began to evaporate. Slowly, the fingers came to a rest on the scimitar's tip.

 _Damn it all_. He focused his eyes on the HUD's raid control once again. "7, Case Orange," he said, his voice smoldering.

The moment the last syllable escaped his lips, Loki, Karen, Vessalius, Siegrain, Osmond, and Gawain – the Gyges Termination Squad – _rushed_ towards Lind and his cohorts. In the span of two seconds, they had all five of them at knifepoint. Osmond had his bow trained on Lind, who also had Loki's knife pressed against his throat. The rest each took one of the remaining players – they pressed down on the left shoulder with one hand, weapons at the ready in the other.

As for the other guild parties, each of them formed up in a defensive circle. The tanks in each group got between the former Group 7 and the rest of their respective parties, shields drawn and readied.

Ashe approached his left flank, her new gunmetal grey longsword grasped firmly in her right hand. In a voice low enough to be audible only to him, she said, her voice smoldering and strained, "Damn you, Alex. After this – you'd better." She brought her weapon to the fore and locked her gaze straight ahead, towards the immediate threat.

"'Grim reaper' isn't just for show." He fell silent, keeping his eyes trained on Lind. Seconds passed by in silence – the only noise he could hear was the sound of his own steady breathing.

He raised his left hand. "…enough. It's been a long day."

One by one, each Gyges terminator removed and sheathed their weapons, backing away by a pace. Only Osmond remained on alert, his bow still aimed between Lind's temples.

"I'm tired of this." He turned around, facing the majority of his guild. "Now then…"

Out of the corner of his right eye, he saw the player Karen was responsible for charge straight at him, his longsword drawn and held above his right shoulder. Just as he began his downward swing, Freya _rushed_ forward, her shield raised. A split second later, the longsword collided squarely on the shield's center – the impact caused a loud _CLANG_. The moment the attack connected, the attacking player's cursor turned orange, at which point Freya immediately countered with a downward diagonal slash through his left shoulder, sending him crashing down to the ground.

Itharius' instincts went into full overdrive. He felt himself gently push Freya to the side with his right hand as he reached above his shoulder with his left, drawing his sword. In one smooth, rapid motion, he drew his weapon and struck the orange player's neck, pushing the blade halfway through.

When he regained control of his faculties, Itharius steadied his grip and focused his gaze on his target. Focusing on the cursor, the player's nameplate – Musketeer X – appeared directly above his head. Only a sliver of red remained in the health bar. One twitch of his hand, and his life would be extinguished.

The temperature around him dropped by several degrees. All of the color drained out of Lind's face. Regardless, he and his remaining comrades attempted to put up a brave front – their eyes darted rapidly between him and their fallen friend.

While Agil's expression remained unchanged, Itharius could see his right eye twitch just slightly. The rest of his party, however, began to quiver – they slowly drew their armaments, readying them.

"What to do, what to do." His eyes moved down, their gaze following the length of his blade. Musketeer X's eyes began to tear up. Soft, broken whimpering escaped his lips – Itharius could feel the muscles of his neck twitch against the blade.

He felt a familiar, soft, warm hand grab his left, clutching it. "Please, Alex…" Ashe tightened her grip. "Let it go… You're better than this."

He closed his eyes and took a quiet, deep breath. "Alright, Val," he whispered, opening his eyes.

Taking care to keep his hand steady, Itharius pulled the blade out of Musketeer X's neck, sheathing it the moment the particles of virtual blood vanished.

He looked straight at Lind. "Enough blood has been shed today. I'm sure we both can agree on that."

He paused for five seconds.

"Your friend is going to have to deal with some _unpleasant consequences_ for some time." Itharius turned away from Lind and his party. "He should consider himself fortunate."

He began walking towards the hallway's other exit – the stairway leading up to the second floor. "One more thing," he said, looking over his shoulder. "If I were you, I'd pray to whatever god you revere never to come to my attention again." He lowered his voice. "I may forgive…emphasis on the _may,_ but I _never_ forget."

Itharius cleared his throat. "Let's go," he said into the earpiece in his normal voice.

How long he walked before the rest of his group rejoined him, Itharius didn't bother keeping track of. And when they did, there were no words exchanged between them. No admonitions, no anecdotes, no words of encouragement – they simply moved on in silence. His bodyguards – Freya, Tristain, Gabriel, and Oz – took positions around him without prompt.

As they began traversing up the spiral staircase, Itharius looked towards Ashe on his left. The moment his eyes met hers, she shuddered – her eyes shifted away at full speed. Despite that, she took his left hand in her right, clasping her fingers around his, and moved closer to him, until no more space remained between them.

 _The warmth of her hand._

Her hand held onto him without fail, never faltering in its grip.

And when they reached the top of the staircase and walked through the imposing stonewrought door out towards a plateau overlooking a vast plain, she leaned into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder.

Itharius looked down at her, a faint smile forming on his face.

Ashe lingered for several seconds before looking back at him, her warm eyes taking in his.

 _Most important of all matters. All that matters. The only thing that matters._ All of it was there with him here and now.

And he would do whatever it took to keep it safe, no matter to cost to himself.


End file.
